Comrade in Irons
by Rahuratna
Summary: After a mission goes horribly wrong, Naruto and Kakashi must battle their way back to Konoha in the face of false accusation. Faced with a series of baffling murders, Shikamaru must unravel a scheme that could destroy his friends as well as Konoha itself
1. Part I: Rift: First Blood

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto or any Naruto characters portrayed in this fic.

**A/N**: Here is my first foray into Naruto fanfiction! I hope my character portrayals are accurate . . . The timeline follows the time-skip, after Naruto develops the Rasen-shuriken technique, but after that deviates from canon. Reviews and feedback appreciated!

**PART 1: Rift**

**Chapter 1: First Blood**

"What's _his_ problem?"

"Shut it, Naruto!"

"Seriously, Sakura-chan! I only asked for . . . "

"I _know_ . . . he's just . . . a little stingy."

They landed on the same branch simultaneously, sandals striking the bark in muffled synchronicity before launching themselves off again. Naruto was slightly ahead of her, his annoyance lending him more energy than usual.

"One riceball . . . that was it . . . "

She gave an exasperated sigh. "What's the big deal? We packed our own food."

He shot her a pained look over his shoulder. She sensed the whine in his voice before she heard it.

"But Sakura-chaaaan . . . ration bars are yuuuurggg."

"I'm not the one who packed them!"

"Then pack the food next time! Kakash-sensei wouldn't know good food if you strapped it to a kunai and shoved it up his arse."

"I didn't know he was capable of anal ingestion," she replied acidly.

"Well, it's not like we've seen him eat with his mouth . . . "

"Naruto. I'm not having this conversation with you."

Good humour rapidly restored, he bounded noisily off a tree trunk, landed in a squat on a branch below then leaped again, twisting in mid-air so that he faced her.

"Soo . . . Sakura-chan, we're alone up here . . . "

"Turn around you idiot! You'll crash!"

He back-flipped neatly over a branch and grinned. "You were saying?"

Despite herself, her mouth twitched. "It's not the trees you should be looking out for . . . "

"Aaaah . . . Kakash-sensei's with the old fart. Don't worry about _him_."

"Let's wait for them a bit. We've scouted far enough, I think."

She dropped onto a branch and ducked from long habit as Naruto sailed over her and scampered up the trunk to the upper branches. Leaning back, she sighed and tilted her head until it touched the dark, gnarled wood behind her, mentally going over their mission briefing. It was a simple B-rank, an escort for the antiquities and incense merchant, Igarashi Saburo. He was returning from a very successful run through Wave Country where he had sold most of his stock. Instead of depositing the bulk of the proceeds at a bank, however, he had chosen to hire shinobi and thus keep his money close without incurring any of the risk. His hometown, when Kakashi had indicated its position on the map, had been north-west of Konoha, near the border of Grass Country. It also seemed, from what they had experienced of him thus far, that he did not easily part with anything ranging from money to food. Glancing up at her team-mate, she found him perched precariously at the apex, the wind rippling in familiar patterns through his sunburst hair, eyes squinting against the sudden glare.

"There's a halfway house up ahead," he called down to her.

"Right. They're almost here."

Down below, their sensei and the client came slowly into her field of vision. She dropped down before them, dusting off her skirt. "All clear, Kakash-sensei. Naruto saw a rest-stop a short while away."

The jounin nodded, snapping shut 'Icha Icha Tactics' and turning to the wizened man beside him. "We'll stop there to eat and rest. Is that in order, Igarashi-san?"

"Kakash-sensei!" Naruto landed beside her, dropping his voice to a none-too-soft stage whisper, "Sakura-chan and I think you're an anal _connoisseur_!"

Said kunoichi sputtered in outrage, face a startling shade of puce. "WHA . . . Naruto! _You_ . . . "

Kakashi gave them a slightly hurt look. "Now, just because I prefer certain reading material, you should not judge . . . "

"Sensei, I didn't say anything! And stop talking about your book!"

Naruto shot the silent merchant a scowl before turning back to Kakashi. "Yeah. You packed those nutrition bars, Kakash-sensei. Can't you get a wife already?"

"Thank you for the suggestion, Naruto. I'll make sure I pick up a wife at the next stop." The book in his hand fell open at a strategic page. "Let's get moving, we're all a little hungry."

"Hmph. That stingy old man . . . can't share even _one_ riceball . . . "

If the merchant heard any of Naruto's complaints, he certainly wasn't acknowledging it. Setting his lips in a thin, sour line he looked away from the banter of Team Kakashi and sniffed. Sakura caught her sensei's eye and raised an eyebrow. He shrugged, sauntering down the road that widened ahead to open ground. It had never been his priority to question the nature of their clientele.

"Come on, Naruto."

"Forward march! To the victor go the spoils!"

"Wait, you idiot!"

Watching the trail of dust hanging in the air of his student's precipitous wake, Kakashi wondered idly when Naruto had mastered such a convincing imitation of Maito Gai.

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The weeks following the onset of Spring were certainly the glory days for Konoha's weather. Fresh and exhilarating, the mornings would dance in with light-footed gaiety, and, by the time the working day had started, the balmy atmosphere and abundant warmth and sunshine provided ample opportunities for optimal activity. The marketplace was busier than ever on weekends, civilians rubbing shoulders with shinobi, hawkers calling out the merits of their wares, stores thronging with the morning customer crowds and teams of harried genin weaving between all on errand and message delivery duty.

One particular genin team had an errand which found them in the less frequented outskirts of Konoha. Their route took them past the lake and down towards the small cottages forming a cluster on the east side of the village.

"It's too hot for this," moaned Udon, "So tired . . . "

"Stop moaning!" snapped Moegi, "We're done, we just need to report back."

"Look at them." This comment was directed rather resentfully at the small children splashing about at the edge of the lake below, older siblings in close attendance. "So carefree."

"Oh, for heaven's sake . . . "

"You two should get married," Konohamaru muttered, hands shoved deep in his pockets.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. Think we'll get anything better than D-rank this time round?"

It was Moegi's turn to assume a defeated attitude. "No way. Ebisu-sensei is so boring."

"Naruto-niisan always said he was a closet pervert."

This earned him a slightly baffled look. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Why do you think he always leaves us with the mission and runs off?"

"Huh?"

"So he can spy at the hot springs, _obviously_." Konohamaru concluded his reasoning with a worldly nod.

"How do you know?" Udon chipped in, "Maybe he's getting some _real_ action."

The three genin paused mid-stride, looked at each other and collapsed, howling with laughter. Their disloyalty went largely unnoticed. Straightening up, Udon reached behind his glasses to wipe away a stray tear. "Oh man, if he hears us . . . "

"I'll take him down with Sexy-no-jutsu!" Automatically, Konohamaru ducked, expecting a heavy blow from Moegi. Turning, he found her standing a little apart, a slight frown wrinkling her brow.

"Moegi?"

"Eh?" Her attention was still focused on the small cottages below the hill.

"Hey!" Konohamaru waved a hand a few inches from her nose, "What's up?"

"Guys . . . there's something . . . " she paused, pointing.

Following the line of her arm, her two team-mates stared in the direction indicated, Konohamaru squinting and Udon pushing his glasses a little further up his nose.

"What? What's there?"

"I don't see anything . . . "

And simultaneously they felt it, a shudder racing through their frames in collective disturbance. Moegi took an involuntary step backwards and Konohamaru tensed, fists clenching at his sides.

"Konohamaru . . . "

"Come on." He bit the words out, breaking out of his stupor and into a jagged descent down the sloping shoulder of the hill, hand flying to his waist to retrieve a kunai from his weapons pouch.

"Wait! You don't know what's over there!"

"No time! Move!"

His urgency galvanized the other two and they sprinted after him, uncertainty clouding the glances they sent each other. The scream reached them when they were halfway down, halting them dead in their tracks.

"What the – "

"Konohamaru!"

He had darted forward once again, mouth set in a grim line of determination as the screams went on, high pitched, rising in a crescendo of terror and hysteria. The closer they got, the more intelligible the sounds became, words hurled through the cries in staccato bursts.

"Kenzo! Kenzo! Help . . . please! Oh Kami . . . please Kenzo!"

They rounded the corner of the last house, colliding with each other at the sight which met them in the backyard. A neat square of grassy lawn, a border of well-tended shrubs and a clothes line hung with pristine white sheets, hanging heavy and translucent with moisture. An overturned clothes basket, the smaller items within spilling across the grass as it rolled towards them. An open doorway, three concrete stairs leading down to the lawn. And a woman kneeling on the lower stair, a young woman, fair hair escaping the neat knot at the nape of her neck, sticking to her contorted wet face in dark tendrils. Her mouth opened wide when she saw them, hand reaching out as if struck dumb at the sight of the assistance she had been begging. A wide crimson splash covered the front of her floral dress, bright, wet and vibrantly harsh against the faint pink and blue flowers. Her hands and arms were covered too, red droplets hanging from the tips of her fingers and smearing over the grass as she lowered her hand back to the ground, another wail building in her throat. A dark shape rested on her lap, lolling lifelessly with every motion she made.

"Oh Kami . . . Kenzo . . . _please_ . . . "

"Udon." Konohamaru's voice was a whisper and he cleared his throat, shook his head. "Udon, go get help. NOW."

The bespectacled boy stared at him, dumbfounded. "Udon, now!"

Something returned to his team-mate then, and he collected himself, nodded and shot away, arms trailing behind him as he sped towards Konoha's main gate. Konohamaru chest felt constricted by an invisible vice, the kunai slipping slightly in his damp palm. He hefted it firmly, planting himself defensively towards the only entrance to the yard. "Moegi, get her away from him."

Without a word, she complied, approaching the woman and gently, but firmly, prying her hands away from the still warm form sprawled across the rear stairs. Instantly, she reacted, shoving at the genin, hysteria rising in her throat as she fought and scratched.

"Konohamaru!"

Swearing slightly, he hesitated, his senses not detecting any hostile chakra nearby. An audience was already gathering slowly at the front of the house, frightened glances and hushed whispers preceding them. Turning, he made his way over to Moegi, tucking the kunai away, and helped her drag the screaming woman away, fingers finding a pressure point on the wildly thrashing neck. They were both short of breath, even though they had run a short distance, the smell of blood overwhelming. Moegi supported the unconscious woman's head and neck in the crook of her arm and looked up at him, face pale, sweat beading her upper lip.

"Is he . . . ?"

Konohamaru straightened slowly, brushing off his arms and leaving faint red smears behind where the woman had pushed at him. Approaching the dead man cautiously, he squatted, careful not to touch the grass and the stairs. The man was dark-haired and looked fairly young, similar in age to the woman. His eyes were closed, mouth open in a dull expression of surprise. He had obviously never even seen his death coming, probably hadn't even had time to realize fully what had happened to him before he died. His throat had been slashed open, ear to ear, air bubbles coalescing in the stream of blood making its vivid path down his Adam's apple, still pulsing slowly from the ruptured trachea. There was clearly no hope for his survival. Konohamaru had sensed, as soon as he seen the couple on the stairs, that they were both civilians.

Meeting Moegi's eyes, he shook his head. She bit her lip and looked down at the woman on her arm. "Her husband?"

He nodded then shrugged. "Probably."

"Who could have done - "

A soft thrumming disturbance in the air nearby alerted them to another presence. Konohamaru stiffened, hand halfway to his pouch when he saw the hawk-masked ANBU. Straightening, he backed off hastily. "W . . . We found them like this. He was . . . " The ANBU raised a hand and cut him off.

"Report to your jounin-sensei. I will handle this." The muffled voice was toneless, authoritarian, brooking no argument.

Wordlessly, Konohamaru nodded and turned to Moegi who hastily, but carefully, laid the woman on the grass and followed him away, out of the increasingly claustrophobic shoebox yard. As soon as they were out of sight of the ANBU, they took off at a run, Moegi stumbling slightly as they picked up pace. He saw, but did not comment, merely taking her hand. She made no move to resist.

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At the rest-stop, Team Kakashi ran into another obstacle. Igarashi declared that he was too tired to travel any further that day, and, seeing as he was an elderly man and paying for their services, they had no choice but to comply with his wishes. However, they soon found that his generosity did not extend to providing them with accommodation, if there _was_ any generosity to begin with. A view Naruto verbalized with much volume and overt hand gestures. Kakashi eventually rewarded the shocked and scandalized patrons of the small building with a happy eye-crinkle and a quick removal of their presence from the premises.

"Did you have to use that language?"

"He's such a . . . selfish . . . such a _bastard_ . . . "

"Now, now," Kakashi cut in, his deeper tones halting Naruto's escalating tirade, "There's an outbuilding out back. There aren't any more rooms available, even if we did dip into mission expenses. We'll camp there for the night. Naruto, if you would be so kind as to set up the sleeping bags. Sakura, see if you can convince them to serve us some food."

Nodding, Naruto a trifle reluctantly, they set off to perform their respective tasks. Finding himself alone, Kakashi sighed, running a gloved hand through his unruly hair. Adjusting the hitai-ate on his forehead, he settled comfortably on a stack of firewood, elbows resting on his long legs. He licked a finger and turned a page to a highly instructive illustration. He really did love this new edition. It came in colour.

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Some hours later, well fed and slightly lethargic, the three shinobi relaxed in the outhouse in companionable silence, blankets wrapped around their shoulders. Sakura shifted, pulling her legs up to her body.

"Cold, Sakura?"

She shook her head absently. "You think there's any real danger to Igarashi-san, Kakash-sensei?"

"No more than there is on any escort mission. He paid for a B-rank mission, so that is the level of vigilance we must exercise."

Naruto grunted. "I'm surprised the old bastard shelled out for a B-rank, anyhow. It must have felt like giving up his mother to missing-nin."

Sakura grinned. "Or Kakash-sensei giving up 'Icha Icha Tactics'."

Their sensei's lone grey eye took on a forlorn, distant expression. "Let's not speak of such things," he whispered. Their laughter echoed around the small room. Sakura yawned and stretched. "I'm turning in. Night."

Naruto promptly followed her, earning his first solid punch of the mission when he attempted to climb into the same sleeping bag. The last image Sakura saw before she drifted off to sleep was as familiar as the chafe of the sleeping bag and the chill of the night air on her cheeks. Naruto's recumbent form and spiky yellow hair, arms sprawled out of his sleeping bag and Kakashi, headband hanging from between his slim, clever fingers, elbow propped on one raised knee, outlined against the dim moonlit glow beyond the doorway. And the dull ache that had accompanied seeing one less sleeping bag, one less softly breathing form, the missing puzzle piece to completing Team 7 of old, was somehow stilled by the stability of that vision.

The rude awakening she received a few hours later was something any shinobi had to be prepared for, and she was awake in moments after her sensei's brisk shake and quiet command, weapons pouch strapped on and ready. But what came after, the consequences of their midnight excursion and the subsequent menace to everything she held close to her heart, nothing could have prepared her for that.

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**A/N: **I write it as 'Kakash-sensei' in direct speech, because, when I watch the anime, Naruto and Sakura always sound as if they drop the 'i' at the end of his name. It sounds affectionate :) My knowledge of Japanese culture and language is shaky at best, although I have researched to the best of my ability, so please feel free to criticize or correct me when necessary.


	2. Taken

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto or any Naruto characters portrayed in this fic.

**A/N**: Here is my first foray into Naruto fanfiction! I hope my character portrayals are accurate . . . The timeline follows the time-skip, after Naruto develops the Rasen-shuriken technique, but after that deviates from canon. Reviews and feedback appreciated!

**PART 1: Rift**

**Chapter 2: Taken**

"Naruto, wake up."

Snapping to attention, the blonde ninja jolted upright, one eye gummed shut, rubbing off the side of his face. "K . . Kakash-sensei?"

"Someone's in the main building. Naruto, take the front entrance, Sakura, back him up. I'll take the upstairs window. Regroup on the landing."

"Yes sensei," they chorused.

With a swift sonic reverberation, three shadowy shapes darted from the shelter of the outhouse and to their respective positions around the rest-stop. At the front, Naruto, on the left side of the door, looked across to Sakura's half-concealed form. She gave a sharp nod. Wrapping the blanket around his fist, he struck at the fragile lock. It gave under the first blow. He slipped past, dodging the hulking, rough wood dining table that stretched the length of the room and made for the door at the back leading to the stairs to the upper floors. Sakura was right behind him, body turned slightly to sweep the room with her gaze. He could sense the condensed chakra around her left fist, bowstring taut and tightly controlled. The musty smell of old food scraps, unwashed dishes and vegetable waste wafted over to them from the scullery as they passed. And a soft clink of cutlery being subtly shifted by someone who obviously did not want to be detected. Glancing slightly over his shoulder, Naruto jerked his head. Nodding, Sakura bypassed the door, tightening the glove over her 'good' fist.

Hand forming seals rapidly, Naruto twisted the brass handle, swinging the door wide, kunai at the ready. "Kage bunshin no jutsu!"

Three identical clones appeared in billowing puffs of smoke. A louder clatter from the kitchen and a heavy muffled thump, with all the resonance of a chakra laden punch, met his ears. He grinned. One down. From the staircase above another heavy thud and frantic breathing. Kakashi had probably let this one go to secure the merchant upstairs, in the knowledge that they would deal with the intruder down here. A stumbling shape appeared ahead, freezing halfway down the staircase when he spied Naruto at ground level.

The shinobi obviously felt that he would rather take his chances with this boy than with the terror waiting upstairs. Drawing three kunai and letting fly, he saw the blonde-haired boy duck into the safety of the dining room. Seizing his chance, the intruder launched himself at the open doorway, only to find himself in a tight stranglehold, with two more pairs of arms fastening around his waist and legs. One solid punch to the ribs later found him winded on the floor, wrists and ankles tightly bound with wire. The clones holding him down vanished in noisy puffs and the young shinobi above him rubbed a finger under his pert nose, sniffing disdainfully.

"Just as hopeless as the other one. What's happening to shinobi standards, Sakura-chan?"

"Come on, idiot, let's go find -"

"_Naruto_! _Sakura_!" The urgency in their sensei's tone caused them both to tense instantly.

"Kakash-sensei?" Sakura called tentatively. A moment later, the jounin appeared in the doorway, hardly sparing a glance for the bound man at his feet. "Igarashi-san. He's gone."

"WHAT?" Naruto stared in disbelief. "_These _dickheads? They took him?"

"It appears so." Kakashi had already sliced his thumb, squatting to slam his hand into the dusty wooden floorboards. Pakkun yawned back at them when the smoke had dispersed.

"Long time no see, two legged friends."

Kakashi held up a cotton shirt. "Track this scent, Pakkun. We need to move fast."

"Wait," Sakura was frowning deeply, "How did they get past us? These guys are amateurs!"

She received a grave shake of the head. "Igarashi-san's been gone for some time. Someone hired these idiots as decoys."

"But-"

"Guys," Naruto interrupted, pointing up the staircase. They looked up to see a growing audience, muffled whispers carrying down to them. The owner of the rest-stop came down partway, stomach bulging over tight pyjama bottoms.

"What's going on here?" There was an audible quake in the man's voice. "Who's that on the floor?"

"An intruder," Kakashi interjected smoothly, rising from his position beside Pakkun, "Tell me, did you hear any suspicious noises during the night? Any sign or sound of a struggle?"

The portly man shook his head, a hint of self-righteous indignation creeping into his tone, "Certainly not. At least, not until you people came in here and started throwing the furniture around -"

"Can it, jiji!" snapped Naruto, "Igarashi-san's missing!"

"Wha - "

"No time," Kakashi cut in curtly, "Naruto, leave one of your kage bunshin behind to interrogate this one." He kicked the man on the floor who groaned and rolled over, clutching his stomach. "Sakura - "

She shook her head. "The one in the kitchen got a head-on hit. He won't be waking any time soon."

"Pakkun, do you have the scent?"

"Yes, boss. Heading east and fast."

"Let's go. I'll brief you two on the way."

Leaving the dumbfounded owner, a crowd of confused patrons and one bruised, bound shinobi, the three took off, dark streaks pelting through the night towards the forest. The blonde, orange-clad clone in the doorway watched them go, then turned to his captive, knuckles cracking, as ominous as the sharp-toothed grin that spread across his face. The gathering on the staircase took a collective step backwards. He approached the trussed form on the floor and turned him over with deceptive gentleness, rolling up one sleeve.

"_Talk_, bastard, or this fat ojiisan will be throwing your fingers out with the potato peels tomorrow."

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Shikamaru was on guard duty. Of course, anyone who knew him well enough would know that 'guard duty' was simply a synonym for watching the clouds. On his back, preferably with a blade of grass between his teeth. There were many synonyms in Shikamaru's internal thesaurus for watching the clouds. Grocery shopping, training, helping genin, tutoring academy students, to name a few. Nobody tried to talk him out of this manner of passing the time. Nobody had _that _much time to waste on fruitless pursuits. And so it was that the ANBU found him easily. The patrol roster had his name listed next to training ground 6. It was precisely in the middle of training ground 6 that the chuunin had settled himself comfortably.

"Nara Shikamaru, you are to report to the Hokage's office urgently."

The ponytail shifted as Shikamaru moved his head a fraction. "How urgently?"

The ANBU appeared at a loss for words. Then came a stiff, "Now."

"Right. Coming." Standing and dusting himself off, he turned to find the ANBU absent, as he had expected. Heaving a heavy sigh, he cast a glance up at the lone drifting cloud in his field of vision. "Troublesome."

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The Hokage's office was a hive of barely controlled activity with Shizune as the frazzled, untidy hub at its centre. Tsunade merely appeared tired and thoroughly annoyed, as he could see from the thin set of her lips and the way her hand occasionally twitched as if about to pour an imaginary drink.

"Shizune," she snapped as he entered, "Get the files for Shikamaru."

"Yes, Tsunade-sama!"

"You asked for me, Hokage-sama?" he enquired.

"Of course, brat, I didn't send the ANBU to make you feel important."

Oh dear. "Oh. Right. So . . . will you brief me?"

Tsunade sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Don't play dumb. You must have heard from Ino. That girl could _gossip _enemy-nin into their graves."

He studied the ceiling for a moment. "Hm. Those executions."

"Executions?" Her gaze sharpened in a way he wasn't sure he liked. "So you've been thinking about this, eh?"

"Actually - "

"Excellent. So you'll take the case?"

"Case?"

"Finding out who is responsible," she explained impatiently.

It took him a few moments to catch up to her. "Hokage-sama? You want _me _to - "

"Yes, you, Nara." She leaned forward, fingers linked thoughtfully under her chin. "You've proved yourself, both in the field and behind a desk. Quite frankly, you are the best analytical mind we have available. This kind of case is no walk in the park. When shinobi kill each other, it's order of the day, unless it happens to be your own comrade. However, this is strictly related to civilians. Random attacks. Just the thing to spark panic and disorder in Konoha." She sighed. "The victims appear to be random targets. This may be the case, however, your particular skill is . . . lateral thinking, so to speak. You can predict with great accuracy, see connections and patterns when everyone else stumbles around in the dark. That's what's needed for this. That's what I need you to provide."

Shikamaru was, for entirely different reasons than normal, completely lost for words. To hear this kind of praise when the world had been screaming at him to get off his arse and be 'useful' for years (with the exception of Asuma-sensei who, in many ways, had been just as lazy as he was), and coming from the Hokage no less, was . . .

"Troublesome," he sighed. "I'll take the case."

Tsunade, despite herself, cracked a smile. "As if you had a choice. Shizune will give you the case files. You will be working in conjunction with Commander Sato Benjirou of the Konoha police force. Report all information gathered to him, he reports directly to me. You will also have other assistance. The ANBU, Hawk, will be at your disposal should you require information with higher clearance. He was at the site of one of the killings, make sure you gather everything of importance from him. Shizune?"

Her assistant looked up from where she had been gathering the relevant files and hurried over, pressing them into his hands. "I'm in charge of the autopsy reports, Shikamaru-san. I performed them myself, so come down to the morgue later to look over the bodies and discuss the details with me."

He nodded his understanding, was summarily dismissed, and so found himself embroiled in events that even he could not forsee the vital significance of in the near future. If he had known, he might have read those reports at lightning speed and completed his first analysis within the hour. Or maybe not. It was better not to rush these things.

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The forest swallowed them in immediate dampness and bone-chilling cold. Pakkun led the way, Kakashi following his diminutive form, Sakura and Naruto close behind. "Listen up, you two," the jounincalled to them. Neither of them dreamed of not paying attention. Kakashi was using his serious voice.

"We never heard Igarashi-san leave the premises. Either the assailant incapacitated him immediately upon entry without alerting us, suggesting a skilled shinobi, or there was some hold the assailant exercised over him to make him go willingly. There was no sign of a struggle."

"The money!" exclaimed Naruto, "That stingy old goat would never let it go."

Kakashi nodded. "Entirely possible. There was no trace of the money when I searched the room. But remember, if they took the money as a coercion tactic, then the weaker the shinobi. They preferred _manipulation _over brute force. This does _not _mean we should be less careful. We may be facing a small time crook, but he'll be a cunning little shit who, most probably, set traps for us in advance."

Sakura drew level with him. "Sensei, those guys back at the house . . . "

"Decoys, as I said before. Naruto's kage bunshin will most probably get nothing much out of them. I'll lay a bet that they received written instructions on a scroll with a self-destruct jutsu and picked up the money for the job at a drop point."

"So this guy who took Igarashi-san . . . might be a hired heavy too, right? The one in charge wouldn't risk being out in the open, would he?"

Kakashi smiled behind his mask. Ah, they grew up so fast. "Good thinking, Sakura. But this kidnapping, the amateurish thugs, it smacks of a low level operation. Whoever he or she is, they didn't have the resources to pick a wealthier, heavily guarded victim. Whoever took Igarashi-san is probably the one directly heading the operation."

She nodded and fell back. Pakkun paused in his tracks, hopping lightly onto a protruding branch, nose twitching. "Not long now, Kakashi. They're near."

"Hm. I sense two. Either he ran out of hired help, or they're concealing themselves very well . . . Single file, you two. Naruto, take the rear. Stay alert. Watch for traps."

So saying, he shot off the branch after Pakkun, trailing the two young shinobi in his wake.

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They halted within fifteen minutes of their short briefing, Kakashi motioning for them to stop with a raised hand. Pakkun vanished in a puff of smoke. Alighting on branches above and below the jounin, Naruto and Sakura scanned the area swiftly. Sakura glanced upward past Kakashi, who seemed entirely focused on the clearing beyond, and caught Naruto's eye, giving him a quick shake of the head. He returned the gesture. No enemy shinobi as far as either of them could sense or see.

_And yet _. . . she looked at Kakashi again, realising that most of her disquiet emanated from his stance and attitude. Years spent as his pupil had taught her the nuances in his moods, so much more subtle and difficult to read than Naruto and even Sasuke had been. Not to mention that pesky mask . . . and right now, he was as vigilant as only he could be. Kakashi never tensed visibly. His body language was trained to a level she could only dream of. But there was a certain battle-ready air to him, a tension coiled in his powerful, wiry frame that told one very clearly that he did not like the situation. And that it might end in a great deal of bloodshed. Fighting the urge to shiver, she looked away and concentrated on the clearing ahead. At the base of a tree, directly 12 o' clock to their position, a dark shape lay huddled, the form and approximate size indistinct in the shadows cast from behind.

"Naruto. Sakura. I'm going in. Watch the rear and the trees around the area carefully. The other chakra signature I picked up earlier is gone."

"But - "

"No 'buts' Naruto," his voice was uncharacteristically sharp. "Follow my orders." So saying, he promptly vanished from the branch above her.

Sakura gritted her teeth. _Something . . . something's not right. And whatever it is, Kakash-sensei feels it too . . . _

The branch beside her dipped slightly under Naruto's added weight. Turning to him, she saw by the tension in his face, that he didn't like this any more than she did. In the clearing ahead, Kakashi appeared, what little moonlight there was filtering into the small space and glinting on his distinctive silver hair. They saw him approach the huddled shape in slow measured strides.

"Igarashi-san?"

He was speaking clearly and audibly, as much for their benefit as the merchant's. There was no answer to his query. Squatting to the side of the shape on the ground, giving them both a clear line of vision to what was happening in the clearing, he called the man's name again, slightly louder this time and accompanied by a firm shake. There was a faint stirring, a shuddering movement in the huddled form. Sakura heard a low moan, a muffled sound then more unintelligible noises, rising rapidly in volume. It was Igarashi, and he was bound and gagged. Beside her, Naruto caught his breath. Kakashi reached out, tugged at the gag and cut away the bindings. Whatever had been obscuring Igarashi's ability to speak came free. She heard him choke, throat sounding dry and hoarse from shouting.

"Get . . . get me out! He did a thing . . . a . . . a jutsu . . . please! We have to get out!"

She was on her feet instantly, hand flying to her weapons pouch. Simultaneously, the clearing was lit by an eerie glow as a complex seal showed in luminous green lettering all across the bindings that had fallen away from Igarashi's form. The pattern spread out radially, shooting in all directions towards points on specific trees where resonating green seals glowed into life. Watching the events unfold as if in slow motion, Sakura saw Kakashi grip Igarashi, lifting his slight form right off the ground and hurling him bodily out of the jutsu's range. The old man landed just within the bright circle, stumbling to his feet and scrambling desperately out of harm's way. Naruto leapt from the branch beside her, launching himself towards the clearing.

"Kakash-sensei! Get out of there!"

It took her a moment to follow him, her legs unnaturally leaden, heart pounding in her throat. There was something off about Kakashi's stance. His lower body seemed strangely immobile and he looked up, his dark grey eye and the Sharingan, which he had exposed somewhere along the line, both widening in dismay.

"Naruto! Get back!"

Then it hit her. _He can't move! The seal is binding him!_ Her foot struck out at the nearest branch, propelling her as fast as possible backwards, away from the clearing. Her voice, to her own ears, was high pitched, cracking in desperation. "NARUTO! NO!"

But Konoha's number one knuckle-headed ninja was deaf to her warning. As deaf to her as only the danger to a comrade and loved one could make him. Ignoring Kakashi's horrified shout and her own screams, he propelled himself directly at the jounin, aiming to knock him out of the jutsu's path by the force of his momentum.

"Kage bunshin no jutsu!"

A clone appeared in mid-air, grabbing Naruto by the wrist and flinging him with all the force it could muster in Kakashi's direction. Below him the seal glowed brighter, new rows of complex script running from the radial points on the surrounding trees back towards the centre of the clearing; directly towards Kakashi. Naruto collided with him at the exact moment the seal coalesced and cast a blinding light in all directions, forcing her to throw up a hand to shield her eyes. When the light had dispersed, she dropped her hand, leaping to the ground and bursting out of the trees, eyes widening in horror as she took in the absence of her team-members.

"Naruto! Kakash-sensei!" She spun in a dizzying circle, hysteria threatening to burst through her ribcage, "Naruto! Damn it, WHERE ARE YOU?"

Her cries went unanswered, the forest ehoing back the plea mockingly. Behind her she heard a small sound, a groan. Spinning on her heel, she almost burst into tears when she saw that it was Igarashi, leaning against a tree and clutching his chest. For a moment, she had forgotten his existence. _No, no, NO! What happened? Where are they?_ Another groan came from the merchant as he sank to the ground, panting hard. The sight of another human being in distress stilled her somewhat, the natural-born medic within her taking over in the face of the irrational. She moved towards him automatically, green healing chakra gathering around her palm. Kneeling, she saw that he had suffered what looked like a mild stroke. Considering his age and the stresses he had been subjected to, it was not surprising. As she checked his heart and internal organs for any signs of damage, another part of her mind rebeled, casting panic and fear into every motion.

_Dear Kami, please let them be all right. Please, not them. Not Naruto and Kakash-sensei. My only team . . . my family. _She backed away from Igarashi momentarily, covered and rubbed vigorously at her face, breathed in once, twice, slow and easy. The hands she returned to his trembling form were wet and as steady as the ground beneath her.

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A/N: Here's another quick installment! Hope you enjoy, readers :)


	3. Cold Comfort

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto or any Naruto characters portrayed in this fic.

**A/N**: Here is my first foray into Naruto fanfiction! I hope my character portrayals are accurate . . . The timeline follows the time-skip, after Naruto develops the Rasen-shuriken technique, but after that deviates from canon. Reviews and feedback appreciated!

**PART 1: Rift**

**Chapter 3: Cold Comfort**

She returned to the site of her team-mates disappearance immediately after ensuring that Igarashi was properly installed with bed, food, medication and the host's wife to watch over him back at the rest stop. The clearing looked a lot less intimidating in the light of day, the trees that had seemed to loom with such ominous shadows now appearing fresh and gilded by the sun's rays on their dew-drop spattered leaves. She paused for a minute just outside the open space and closed her eyes, focusing her memory on which trees those seals had lit up last night. There had been five points in a radial pattern, she recalled, almost spaced like the five points of a drawn star. Nodding firmly once she had their positions fixed in her mind, Sakura made her way around the clearing, checking the trees carefully. There were no visible markings that she could see, almost no trace of the strange jutsu that has spirited her companions away. Frustrated, she searched the surrounding forest, all to no avail.

Returning to the clearing, she sat cross-legged in the middle, trying hard to recall everything she had learnt about this type of jutsu. It was definitely of the fuuinjutsi, or sealing jutsu, type. Fortunately her medic training had given her some level of proficiency with these. Remembering one particular lesson, she made her way to one of the trees that she had marked out before and knelt before it, placing one hand gently on the rough bark. Sitting still for a while, she regulated her chakra flow and let out a small, precisely measured pulse into the rough bark. To her delight, there was an answering resonance, a returned signal, a memory in the tree bark of the seal that had been traced there many hours before. Eyes snapping open, she beheld a glow in the bark, a faint remnant of the blinding light that had characterized the activation of the seal. Quickly, she memorized the pattern before scribbling it down on an empty scroll she had brought for the purpose. Repeating the process, she found that all five trees had different signatures, each of the same hierarchy in forming the seal. The portion of the highest order had been inscribed on Igarashi's bindings and was obviously the activation point. Kakashi's slicing of the bindings had activated the jutsu, thus immobilizing himself.

Pen poised at her lip, she thought about this for a moment. It was now glaringly obvious that Igarashi had not been taken by mere robbers or kidnappers. The money had been found on him, fastened within his jacket and attached to a cast iron chain. Such was the man's concern for his earnings. If the abductors had been after the money, there would have been no chance of it escaping their attention. So the only viable conclusion was that Igarashi had been taken to lure Team Kakashi into that exact space in the forest and have them release the jutsu. _So their target was Kakash-sensei?_

That would not surprise her. Despite their largely casual relationship with their former sensei, both she and Naruto were well aware of his almost revered status in the shinobi world. There were probably hundreds of capable shinobi from other hidden villages who wanted to take his life in revenge. Not to speak of his former days as an ANBU Black Ops captain where he held the current record for most years spent in service. Then again, to get Sharingan Kakashi and Kyuubi host Naruto in one go . . . it would be a major blow to Konoha. _Damn! I need to get this information to Tsunade-shishou as fast as possible! _On the same scroll on which she had transcribed the portions of the seal that she had deciphered, she composed a letter to Tsunade, describing in concise detail all the incidents that had occurred from the kidnapping of Igarashi to present time. Once she was done, she straightened, collected her belongings and sped off to find the nearest postal service. They were quite a distance from Konoha and if she marked the letter as urgent, it would reach the Hokage in two days. Aware of how the system worked, she knew that Tsunade would dispatch a search squad immediately upon receiving the missive. It would also give her enough time to complete the escort mission and return, hopefully meeting up with the search squad on the way and joining with them to find her team-mates.

_Naruto . . . Kakash-sensei, we'll find you. No matter what._

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There was nothing of much value in the files, as Shikamaru had expected. However, that was based on the first cursory perusal. He had made lists of items to cross-check for possible links between the victims. Work-places, family, hobbies, residential addresses, to name a few. The first victim, in chronological order, was Nakamura Ryo, a landscaper for Konoha's north sector residential areas. He had no known family, an on-and-off relationship with a waitress working at a local restaurant and seemed a popular, easy-going man amongst his many friends. He had been found, throat slashed, sitting in front of a half-empty beer bottle in his kitchen, by his neighbour who had dropped by to visit and chat, as was their custom. The second victim, Tanaka Masao, a carpenter, found dead at his own workbench. The third, Matsuo Fumiko, a mother of two, found by her elder son upon his return from the academy. The fourth, Inoue Kenzo, newly married and rising rapidly through the ranks of a local trading company, had somehow managed to stumble to his own doorstep from the living room and collapse across the back-stairs leading to the yard where his wife had been hanging up clothes to dry.

A team of genin had been on the last scene and one of them had reported the incident, while the other two had secured the scene until the ANBU had arrived. Mildly impressed, Shikamaru flipped through to the witness page and found their names. Sarutobi Konohamaru. Aha. That noisy kid who dressed in bed-sheets and perpetually imitated Naruto's Sexy-no-jutsu. Apparently, he had grown into a reliable young shinobi. Who knew? Maybe he should speak to him later, see if there were any lasting impressions that those who appeared on the scene later may have missed . . . Glancing at the clock, he was surprised to find how time had flown. Gathering up the reports, he stored them away and slipped on his flak jacket and weapons pouch. Nodding to his father, he stepped out into the cool Konoha evening and made his way to the morgue.

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The four corpses were laid out in a row, white surgical sheets covering them from just below the shoulders to the ankles. The slit throats, so vivid in the photographs taken at the scene, had faded to a dull red colour, a dry, clinical, burgundy slash of discrimination against these innocent civilians. At least, that's how it seemed to Shikamaru. These were ANBU execution-style wounds, quick, soundless kills. These untrained, unarmed civilians had never stood a chance, never seen their deaths coming. These were no war wounds that he could stare at without rancour, with shinobi detachment. Something within him squirmed at the sight and he looked away at Shizune who had been standing beside him, staring silently straight ahead, her professionalism allowing him to first form his own impression before giving her report.

"No other wounds beside the throat?"

She shook her head and approached the steel tables. "Nothing else. No bruises or defense wounds. This was done quickly and professionally by someone who definitely knew what they were doing. Of course, the fact that these were civilians means the killer put in minimal effort. This was the work of a shinobi, but how skilled he or she was, we have no idea."

"Like a mission."

"Pardon?"

"The way he killed them."

She seemed puzzled. "What do you mean?"

He strolled towards the nearest victim, the mother-of-two. Matsuo Fumiko. She had been an attractive woman in life, he could tell that she had long legs from her relative height to the men and a pretty, heart-shaped face. "Don't worry, you'll read all my conclusions in the report." He nodded towards Fumiko's throat. "Weapon?"

"Almost certainly a kunai. The killer was right-handed. We lifted no fingerprints from the corpse or surrounding scene that points to anyone outside their family or friends."

He paced away from Fumiko and stood looking at the corpses from a little further off. Then he approached the last victim, Inoue Kenzo, examined him and looked up at her inquiringly. She nodded and gave him a wry smile.

"I knew you would notice." She indicated the slash pattern. "A jugular cut, but not deep enough to kill immediately. This was what enabled Inoue to survive long enough to reach the back door."

"It was deliberate."

"That's certain. He was cut at a precise angle like the others, no hesitation."

"So the killer wanted him to suffer."

"Yes," she nodded slowly, "Him in particular."

Now that was interesting. Thanking Shizune for her time, he left the morgue, taking a round-about route back to the Nara compound so that he passed the outer fortification of Konoha that over-looked the houses scattered over the hill to the east of the village. The valley out of his range of vision was where Inoue and his wife had been found by the three genin. Pausing for a moment on the outer wall, Shikamaru took some time to ponder why a shinobi, if that's what the killer was, would fixate so randomly on these people. Inoue hadn't even entered the village that much. The file stated that he did a lot of the book-keeping from the company offices on the river docks and made weekly trips into Konoha itself for buying groceries and house-hold items. If the killer had been selecting victims, it was unlikely that he did this simply by watching patterns of the victims' movements within Konoha and selecting them based on ease of the kill. That, and the fact that Inoue's death had been slightly different from the others, hinted at a personal motive. These people were either known to the killer or had caught his attention for a specific reason.

When he eventually returned to the compound, his mother gave him an earful about letting his supper get cold. But when she served him the re-heated food, she surprised him with a kiss on the forehead. "Working hard on this case, I see." She pinched his cheek forcefully a moment later. "And if you slack off, I _will _know."

Digging into his meal, Shikamaru felt a sudden pang of sympathy for the boy who had returned from the academy to find his mother dead. Shinobi or not, there were certain things, certain bonds, that nobody should break.

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When he awoke, the first thing he was aware of was a dull pain behind the eyes. Raising his head slightly, he waited for a few moments to ensure that no further discomfort ensued from the action. He raised a hand, waved it about before his nose. Good, vision not impaired. He did another check of arms, legs, ran his hands over his torso. Still good so far. There was a slight tear in his right pants leg and he felt a sting when he moved the limb, but whatever damage had been done had already been rendered negligible by the healing ability of the Kyuubi. He raised himself on his elbows, stopping dead, eyes widening in horror. The ground beneath him felt softer than it should, strange rectangular shapes outlined against his forearms. The ground was also breathing softly.

"Shit!"

He shot forward, scrambling around on all fours to behold the sight of his unconscious sensei. Kakashi was sprawled out, hitae-ate entangled in his silver hair where it had dislodged in the fall. He had obviously positioned himself to take the brunt of the impact at the very last moment so that his former student landed directly across his torso, the thick flak jacket with its multiple pockets providing impromptu air-bags to cushion him.

"KAKASH-SENSEI!" He shook the jounin wildly and none-too-gently, panic rapidly settling in. All he achieved was the complete removal of the hitae-ate which slid out of Kakashi's hair with a soft clunk. "Wake up, sensei!"

Sitting back on his haunches, he pressed his hands to either side of his head in an attempt to marshal his thoughts. _Think, idiot, think. What would Sakura-chan do?_ Check his vital signs, came the distant answer from somewhere within, the part of his mind that had actually paid some small attention when the pink-haired medic administered first aid.

"Right. Okay. It's gonna be all right Kakash-sensei." Speaking aloud calmed him somewhat, made him feel a little more in control. "Let's have a look at you."

He unzipped the bulky vest and pushed it aside carefully, pressing two fingers to Kakashi's neck to check for a pulse. He almost shouted out in relief when he felt it jump beneath his fingers, weak but steady. "That's great, sensei! You're alive! Keep it up!"

Next he checked Kakashi's limbs for any sign of cuts or bruises. Besides the small, bloody mark on the jounin's thumb where he had sliced it to summon Pakkun, there was no other damage that Naruto could see or feel. That left his torso and back. Carefully, he lifted Kakashi's shirt and pushed his hand within to prod for broken ribs. His fingers came into contact with something cold. _Huh?_ _Metal?_ He dipped his head and caught sight of a mail shirt. "Kakash-sensei, you're so paranoid, seriously." Tongue sticking out one side of his mouth, he eased the mail shirt out of Kakashi's waistband and checked beneath that, rolling his eyes when he came into contact with another layer of material, this time a thin vest, probably attached to the mask. "No wonder you never get laid. Once you get past the third layer, she's probably asleep."

A swift examination revealed that all ribs were intact, if a trifle bruised by the impact of Naruto's landing. "Now you just need to wake up." He frowned slightly. "Huh. That's funny." He knew that his sensei was made of much tougher stuff than most people were aware of, so there was no reason for him to still remain unconscious when Naruto himself had recovered some time ago. The only possible explanation that remained was chakra exhaustion, God knew, Kakashi was on the receiving end of _that _often enough. The questions that remained were how and why it had occurred . . .

For the first time, Naruto paid attention to his surroundings. The sight of Kakashi's comatose form had seemed to blot out everything else. Now, eyes widening as he surveyed the surrounding area, he took stock of their situation. Their landing had been a spot of fortune, by the looks of it. They were positioned in a small clearing, surrounded by dense vegetation, and if there were not certain obvious pointers indicating that they were in an entirely different place, he might have mistaken it for the clearing they had departed from a short while ago. For a start, it was much warmer, a dense, muggy atmosphere that weighted down his clothes with uncomfortable stickiness, in direct contrast to the temperate climate that characterized Fire Country. The foliage around them was dense and tropical, the trees forming a latticed canopy that allowed almost no breeze at ground level, thick lianas and creepers roped and wound about the visible trunks. The hum of cicadas was loud and constant, the air heavily scented with damp earth and ripe vegetation.

_A fucking jungle? Where the hell are we? _Turning, he saw low hills that gained height as they linked to the feet of a mountain range, approximately thirty miles from their current position, the range itself passing well beyond his line of sight to the east. Even though Naruto had never been one to pay attention, or be present for that matter, in most of his geography or diplomacy classes at the academy, he did know that Earth Country was characterized by their mountainous borders.

"NO. No way. That's not possible!" He shook his head as if to clear it of unnecessary thoughts. "No bloody way. There's no jutsu that can do that."

And yet, there was the irrefutable evidence before his eyes, their hulking, massive shapes clearly outlined in the watery dawn light. "There are mountains _somewhere _in Fire Country, I just can't think where. Kakash-sensei will know, I just have to wait til' he wakes up."

So saying, he turned his back on the mountains as if they had offended his personal sense of honour and strode back to Kakashi. To his relief, the jounin's breathing looked a little easier and he appeared to be asleep. Squatting beside the recumbent man, he attempted to make him a little more comfortable, folding the flak jacket and placing it under his head as a form of makeshift pillow. There was no need for a blanket as the weather was rapidly heating up, so Naruto simply retrieved the hitae-ate and placed it back on Kakashi's brow. His hand paused for a second, a devilish expression crossing his face as his fingers ghosted lower to the mask, but some internal ethical rulebook spoke volubly against it. He sniffed loudly and tugged the hitae-ate over the Sharingan, then thought about it for a second and pulled it over both eyes. The bright sun wouldn't allow Kakashi adequate rest. "Next time, sensei. It'll be more fun tricking you into taking it off. Hehe."

He rose, dusting off his pants, then crossed his fingers in a distinctive seal. "Kage bunshin no jutsu!"

The clone appeared in a cloud of smoke, perky and smiling brightly, the smile rapidly fading as stock was taken of their surroundings. "Where the fuck-"

"Don't ask!" snapped Naruto, "No idea! Just go scout already!"

"Hmph. Whatever."

As soon as the clone had taken off, Naruto was struck by a sudden thought. _Sakura-chan! _He remembered her calling after him before the jutsu hit, and, from what he remembered, she had gotten herself well out of the jutsu's range. But that meant she had been left behind, alone, confused and terrified for them. He gritted his teeth. _Don't worry, Sakura-chan. Even if we were on the moon, Kakash-sensei and I will handle ourselves just fine._ Left with his sleeping sensei, Naruto took a position near Kakashi, kunai twirling between his fingers as he took the first, solitary vigil.

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	4. In a Strange Land

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto or any Naruto characters portrayed in this fic.

**A/N**: Hope you had a Merry Christmas, readers! The timeline of this story follows the time-skip, after Naruto develops the Rasen-shuriken technique, but after that deviates from canon. Reviews and feedback appreciated!

**PART 1: Rift**

**Chapter 4: In a Strange Land**

Kakashi awoke just after midday, when the stifling heat and blinding brightness of the sun had become too strong to ignore. He must have made some sound when he came to, as the first thing that met his vision was a pair of large blue eyes, blazing with well-meaning, if rather intrusive concern, barely inches from his face.

"Mm . . . Naruto?"

"KAKASH-SENSEI! You're awake! Thank Kami, I was beginning to think you'd sleep forever!"

He chuckled weakly. "Aah . . . easy on the volume, Naruto."

"Oops!" The heavy stage whisper made a hasty reappearance, "Sorry Kakash-sensei. How are you feeling?"

"I think I'm past the worst of it . . . " He made a small attempt to rise, quickly arrested by Naruto's firm hand on his shoulder.

"No way, sensei, Sakura-chan would never allow you to get up in this state."

Kakashi's breath caught in his chest, grey eye widening slightly. "Sakura!"

"She's not here," responded his student, grimly, "I remember her getting out of the way in time. She called to me, but . . . " He broke off, hand still on Kakashi's shoulder, eyes heavy with an emotion the older man couldn't place or felt comfortable acknowledging.

"I warned you too," The reprimand in his voice felt half-hearted, and his tone rose slightly, more angry with himself than with the boy in front of him. "You should have thought about it. You should have gone back like Sakura, not charged in head-on. You could have put yourself in unnecessary danger."

The young shinobi squinted, ruffling the hair on the back of his head. "Yeah, well, I don't think as well as Sakura-chan, you know that. And besides," and here the playful, almost imbecilic nature shifted abruptly, the same emotion Kakashi had seen earlier returning full force, alight with protective fierceness, "'Those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash', right Kakash-sensei?"

"Naruto . . ."

"No." He rose, stance firm and unyielding, "I know you tried to shield me from the jutsu. Just because things may have happened before . . . " He gestured haphazardly, "I'm stronger now. And you're not just my teacher, you're a team-mate. It's can't be so . . ._ one-sided_. I've got your back, and you've got mine. Right, sensei?"

Sitting still for a moment, the mask rendering him more expressionless than Naruto had ever seen, Kakashi nodded in wordless, sincere assent. A grin split the youngster's face. "Great. Now . . . um, could you take a look around? I've no idea where we are and . . ."

He trailed off hopefully, gaze following his teacher's scrutiny of their surroundings with mounting eagerness. He saw, in the moment that Kakashi spied the mountain range, in the slight narrowing of that eye, that the situation was far from good. "We're in Earth country, north eastern sector. I managed to veer us off course. The jutsu was aimed at releasing us somewhere outside even Earth Country borders."

He looked up at Naruto, who had been rendered temporarily speechless, gaping in shock. "E - Earth Country? How . . . ? Wha . . . ? _What the hell?"_

"A displacement jutsu." Kakashi's voice was low. "I've . . . seen it done many times when I was younger. My old teacher was a master of them. Whoever did this simply drew off those techniques and altered them slightly to suit their own purposes."

Naruto had both hands clasped to either side of his head again. "Wait. Just . . . slow down a minute. You're telling me someone just . . . just drew some fancy symbols and _dropped _us here?"

"No. Someone mastered an extremely complex jutsu, many years in the making, and engineered the situation for us to be in the right place at the right time."

"But WHO could have done something like that? And _why_?"

Kakashi's eye curved upwards. "Well . . . not to seem full of myself or anything, but . . . I _am _the infamous Copy Ninja . . ."

Naruto's chest puffed out in automatic response. "And _I'm_ future Hokage!"

"Naruto . . . you haven't actually done anything yet -"

His student did not seem to think this worth his attention. "Huh. Let me tell _you_, you lazy, porn-reading - "

"'_Suavely nonchalant _and _romantically inclined'_. I think those were the terms you were looking for."

"Whatever." Naruto squinted at him suspiciously. "What did you mean about that, anyway? What you said about 'veering us off-course', or some shit?"

"That 'shit' is in my left eye socket. The Mangekyo Sharingan, to be precise."

"It distorts space, or something, right?"

"Right, partially. I was able to identify the jutsu at the moment it hit us. Furthermore, I was able to counter the displacement to an extent. So we were dropped in a place closer to Fire Country's border than the jutsu-creator intended us to be."

Naruto grinned and slapped him rather painfully on the back. "All right! Way to go Kakash-sensei!"

"Don't lower your guard," came the sharp rejoinder, "All I did was buy us some time. Whoever did this wants us _away _from Konoha at this time. Do you understand now, Naruto?"

The smile faded and his student's face darkened. "You mean . . .?"

"I mean we have to get back as fast as possible. It won't be easy." He sighed heavily. "The Iwa-nin are none too trusting of us. The peace-treaty between our countries is tentative at best. We have to move unseen and take a route as far from any towns or settlements as possible."

Naruto's clone chose that moment to reappear. "There's a path not far from here. It becomes a road after a bit." Pointing vaguely to the east the clone shrugged. "Only thing is, it leads directly past a watch point. There's some kind of pass through the mountains. Probably swarming with enemy shinobi."

"Not enemy . . . yet." Kakashi seemed thoughtful. "That's obviously the route we can't go anywhere near. I know that mountain pass. It's not as heavily guarded as the south pass into Fire Country. If we can find a way through we'll find ourselves north of the Hidden Waterfall village. If their ANBU track us, however, we may have to move further east. North of the Hidden Sound."

Naruto stiffened at this, lips drawing into a thin line. Catching his reaction Kakashi shook his head. "No. Our priority is the village and what could be happening there as we speak." His gaze softened when he saw Naruto's downcast expression. Placing a hand on the younger man's shoulder, he shook him slightly. "There'll be plenty of opportunity for that. Our village may be counting on us, Naruto. As future Hokage, you have a responsibility to be there to help."

His words had the desired effect. "Kakash-sensei . . . you're right!" Galvanized into action, Naruto sprang to his feet, eyes blazing anew. "Let's not waste more time! What's to do? Name it, sensei!"

Under the mask, Kakashi's mouth twitched, but his voice was business-like. "I'll make an inventory of our equipment and what we'll be needing for the journey. You set up some wire traps around this clearing, twenty foot radius, hunt us down some supper and send another clone to scout around for an alternate route to the mountain pass."

Seeing Naruto making no move to follow his instructions, Kakashi blinked innocently. "Is there a problem?

"_A problem_? Why'd you dump me with all the legwork and hard labour?"

"That's because I'm older, more experienced and an expert at planning infiltration operations."

"Or maybe because you're still an _invalid_," came the sly reply.

Kakashi eyed him blandly. "Or maybe you still haven't gotten over that hunting incident. You know. The one when you mistook the sounds that couple were making in the bushes for a pig and you - "

"I'm going already! Sheesh . . ."

Left alone, the jounin cast a speculative glance at the mountains ahead, their peaks crowned with pastel cloud and indistinct in the mid-morning sun. He hadn't mentioned to Naruto his growing worry that the release of the jutsu might have created a chakra flare. If there was a shinobi outpost not far from here, there was a chance that they had sensed the flare and would send in squads to investigate. However, had that been the case, they would have arrived while he was still unconscious. Kakashi, however, had only made it this far by planning for the worst. He knew that he was in no state for a full-on battle just yet and required at least a day to recover the chakra he had expended while using the Mangekyo Sharingan. In this sense, he was almost completely reliant on Naruto to handle an attack from Iwa-nin, should they come under fire. Hand suspended over his back-pack, he froze momentarily, eye widening for a second before curving into a soft, proud, genuine smile.

For the first time in many years, deep in enemy territory and at the mercy of a hostile jungle and possibly lethal shinobi, Kakashi felt . . . somewhat secure. After all, Uzumaki Naruto, number one unpredictable ninja and future Hokage, had his back.

**()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()**

"How's he doing?"

"He's seems all right. Fell asleep after breakfast."

"Good. Thank you, I'll take over from here." Sakura's expression as she mounted the stairs to Igarashi's room was grim, her mouth set in a hard line. As frail as the man seemed after the sudden onset of his illness, she had no further time to waste acting as nursemaid. Her friends' lives could depend on whether she joined up with that search party or not. There was no more time to waste. Pushing open the door, she entered the small room unannounced. Igarashi was still asleep, so she shook him awake gently.

"Mmph . . . what is it?"

"Igarashi-san? It's me, Haruno Sakura, your escort."

The merchant opened his eyes blearily, blinking back a rheumy film to regard her with bloodshot irritation. "What is it? I was resting . . ."

"I'm sorry, I know you're still ill, but I'm afraid we have to leave very soon. In fact, I'd like to get moving after lunch."

He stared at her as if she'd grown antlers. "Are you mad, young lady? I'll have to stay in bed for at least a few days. Don't presume to tell me about my own body, I know it very well, thank you."

Sakura swallowed her harsh retort with an effort. Her medic training was really going to have to serve her well in this case. "I am a medic-nin, Igarashi-san -"

"Well then, you should know better!"

"I _do _know better." She took a breath, "There's been an incident . . . a problem has come up with this mission."

"There is no problem! My money is safe and all you and your team need to do is get me to my home! Speaking of which, where is your team leader? Shouldn't Hatake-san be making these decisions?"

Sakura's face fell. "Igarashi-san . . . you really don't remember anything that happened in the forest?"

For the first time, the merchant's belligerence faltered, expression taking on a distant, pained quality. "W-What? The forest? I remember . . . being taken. I couldn't see him . . ."

"We've been over that this morning," she reassured him, "There's no need for you to talk about it. I know that you never saw his face. I mean . . . after. When Kakash-sensei rescued you."

He shook his head slowly, slight fear showing in his glance. "No. Nothing . . . what's happened? Tell me! Where is Hatake-san? He promised . . . you all promised to see me home safely!"

"We did, and you will," she replied firmly, "But you need to know that Kakash-sensei and Naruto were . . . hit by a jutsu. There's no sign of them in the forest where we found you, or anywhere nearby."

"Hit by a jutsu?" His voice had faded to a whisper, "Are they . . . did they . . . ?"

"They're alive." The conviction in her voice did nothing to reassure her own doubts and fears, and she knew that her reply had come too fast. Fingers digging into the bedside table, she continued, "I've sent word to Konoha. A search party will be sent out to look for them. And Igarashi-san, " She caught his eye, let him see the steel beneath her patient facade, "I _will _be in that search party. To do that, I must get you home and safe as soon as possible. I hope you understand the extreme urgency of this. I will help you pack and prepare, just get dressed and make sure you have something to eat and take your medication after. We'll be leaving in two hours."

She rose from her position beside the bed. The merchant stared at her, mouth working in helpless despair, "But -"

"Don't worry about walking," she cut him off, "I'll be carrying you on my back."

Turning on her heel, determination in every line of her frame, she strode out of the room. "_Carry me on yo _-" Igarashi's disbelieving exclamation was cut off yet again as he spied the place where her hand had rested on the small table beside his bed. There were deep impressions in the wood, five places where it had cracked and splintered effortlessly under the pressure of her fingers. Damage that she hadn't even realized she had caused in her distraction. And those marks told Igarashi very clearly that this 'young lady' could carry him with her little finger if she wanted to.

**()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()**

Inoue Kenzo's wife was staying with a relative not far from the house she had shared with her husband. Shikamaru had decided on questioning her first, as her husband's death had been the most distinctive from the four victims, providing that much needed hint at a personal motive. He knew that he most probably would not get anything very intelligible or accurate from her, considering the considerable trauma she had been through, but it seemed that not all shinobi were as sensitive to civilians' lack of experience with violent death as he was. His conversation with his superior officer at the Konoha Policing Department had given him a clear display of just that.

Commander Sato Benjirou was a war veteran in his late fifties' but he looked well-preserved for a shinobi that had never retired from active duty, choosing instead to settle for a Commander's position in the police force. He looked much the way Shikamaru had expected him to, well-groomed, straight backed and alert, his greying side-burns and the heavy scar over his closed right eye, running all down his face to pull his lip up slightly into a perpetual grimace, lent him a distinguished rather than decrepit air. He had nodded curtly upon their introduction, giving Shikamaru a once-over that was blatant in its assessment. The young chunin took no offence, there was obviously none intended, simply a habit of old.

"Commander Sato, it's a pleasure to be working alongside you."

"Hm, yes. I've read your file. Very promising too. Your case notes were also helpful." Sato tapped the beige file that Shikamaru had delivered to his office the previous day. "From the material you have so far, I'm assuming you're going to visit the murder sites and thereafter, interview any next-of-kin and witnesses."

"Yes, sir."

"I suggest you start with the spouse of Inoue Kenzo. From the information we have, he was a singular victim."

"She might not be a reliable witness so soon after -"

"Nevertheless," Sato interrupted him, "We are working against time constraints. We have no suspects, or any evidence that points to one. For all we know, this killer might strike again, very soon."

Shikamaru nodded, quelling his doubts for now. As if reading his mind, Sato raised an eyebrow. "Is this the first time you've worked a case like this?"

"Yes, Sato-sama."

"Well then, a word of advice. Investigating a murder requires the same level of discipline and clinical thinking that any mission does. The fact that you're out of the field should not impact on your methods. Be cunning where you have to, do not hesitate to set traps or manipulate circumstances should you require them to work in your favour. Be ruthless if you have to, use every resource you have available to catch your criminal. There are civilians involved, men and women who might be nervous or defensive towards your questioning. Be prepared to adapt and use different personas to gain their confidence. To the farmer, be another man of the earth. To a trader, talk shop as if you were in business all your life. Never make promises, no matter how hard the victim's relatives or friends may exhort you. They would be well within their rights to take it up with the relevant authority should you _fail _to deliver on that promise." He gave a grim smile. "And that's where the similarities to a field mission end. You are dealing with people, people you risk your life protecting on every mission you undertake. Yes, we shinobi may see and do things civilians may never conceive of in their wildest imaginings. But as long as they are talking to you, dealing with you, they must never be aware of that fact."

With those words ringing in his mind, Shikamaru had stepped out of the offices into the foyer, to be accosted by the Hawk-masked ANBU. Slowly, he nodded in greeting.

"Nara-san. I am to accompany you on your investigation of the murder scene."

"Good. I'm heading over there right now. Inoue Kenzo's place. But first, we'll drop by the wife. Ask a few questions."

"Yes."

They took off, Shikamaru not bothering to send his silent traveling companion more than a cursory glance. Hawk was of medium height, compact and muscular in build and dark-haired. He carried the standard ANBU-issue tanto in a sheath on his back, but Shikamaru could see numerous scrolls, both carried out in the open and many hidden on his person, hinting at a proficiency with any number of sealed weapons or summoned animal companions. If sealed weapons were involved, the technique resembled that of Ten-Ten's from Team Gai, and Shikamaru wondered whether Hawk was any relation. Speculation would do him little good, however. Each ANBU was as trustworthy as the next in terms of their secrecy and strict following of orders. He wasn't even sure what that would mean to him as the shinobi heading this investigation.

They arrived at the address Shikamaru had been given, and, from the small map of the settlement in the valley, he could see that Inoue's house was not visible, but just around the corner where the walking-path that served as a street took a sharp turn to the right. "Right, let's get started."

Taking the lack of response from Hawk as a go-ahead, Shikamaru knocked politely and stepped back from the small front stairs. After a short pause, the door was answered by a pleasant-faced woman in loose fitting, fashionable trousers and a summer blouse. Her face took on a serious cast as she noted Shikamaru's chunin vest and uniform. He raised a hand in casual greeting, giving her a small smile. "Good afternoon. I'm Nara Shikamaru."

She nodded uncertainly. He saw that she made no move to invite him in. "Yes?"

"I'm investigating the incidents surrounding Inoue Kenzo's death. I understand that his wife, Inoue Saya, is at this address?"

"She is." The woman hesitated, obviously deciding on the most polite way to deny him an interview. "I'm sorry, she's not very well right now . . ."

"Your name is, ma'am?"

"Um . . . I'm Chihiro, her cousin."

"I'm afraid this is urgent, Chihiro-san. I understand that she's suffering from terrible trauma, but we need to move forward with these interviews as soon as possible if we're to progress with the case." Seeing her still seemingly uncertain, he nodded reassuringly. "It's all right. Just a few routine questions. We have her written report, so I won't ask her to go into any great detail."

This seemed to strike the right chord. Nodding, Chihiro stepped aside from her position in the doorway. "This way, please, Nara-san. Is it all right if I stay with her during the questions?"

"That's fine. I'd like her to be at ease."

Once inside, he was led to a small, airy sitting room with light, tasteful furnishings, a pair of glass doors open onto the small, neatly tended lawn. Another woman sat on a rush mat just within the doors, staring sightlessly outwards. From her haggard appearance and the deep lines of grief on her comparatively young face, he guessed correctly that this was the widow of Inoue Kenzo. Casting a glance over his shoulder, he saw that Hawk was nowhere to be seen. Probably listening close by. For which he was very thankful. No matter how comforting his manner, he would never get anywhere in his inquiries with an ANBU hovering over his shoulder.

"Saya?" prompted Chihiro gently, "There's a young man here to see you."

Looking up, the cool, empty gaze took in his shinobi uniform and a slow nod was given in assent. He stepped forward, taking the lead. "I'm Nara Shikamaru, Saya-san. Pleased to meet you. I have a few questions for you. Some general information that could help us find some evidence as to who did this to your husband."

She stirred, a slight frown on her brow. When she opened her mouth to speak, her lips stuck together slightly, as if parting after a long period of silence. Her voice was hoarse. "I . . . I filled in a report."

"I know. These questions are related to different things." He settled in a kneeling position on the mat before her. "I offer my sincere condolences for your loss. In my line of work, I know what it's like to lose someone you care for deeply. But I think you'd like me to get to the point, Saya-san. So I will do just that." Out of the corner of his eye he saw Chihiro give a slight nod of approval.

"Let's start with your husband's work environment. I understand that he was appointed a position in a fabrics trade company?"

She nodded. "He handled most of the finances. Kenzo was . . . good with numbers." Her voice faded to a whisper.

Shikamaru nodded encouragingly. "That's right. Was it a very competitive trade?"

"Yes . . . but not that way. Nobody would want to hurt Kenzo because of business. He was just . . . he was quiet. He kept to himself. Kenzo didn't cause any trouble."

"I see. Did you notice anything unusual in the past few days? Any people you didn't recognize coming to visit or hanging around the house?

She shook her head. "No. I . . . nobody."

"Any correspondence? Was he behaving differently or upset about something?"

"No." A sudden thought seemed to strike her. "Wait. On the day it . . . happened. There was something . . ."

"Yes?"

"I don't think it's important. But Kenzo . . . he seemed upset."

"Did he mention why?"

She nodded, brow crinkling in recollection. "Well, to tell you the truth, I was a little concerned when I heard too. He told me about the other . . . murder. That lady with the two little children." Her mouth spasmed slightly and she looked at the floor. "Those poor things."

"I'm sorry if this is difficult for you. I promise I won't be much longer, but this may be important, Saya-san."

According to Shikamaru's facts, the mother of two, Matsuo Fumiko, was the third victim, but the first body to be discovered due to her son's return from the academy. The first and second victim, the landscaper, Nakamara, and the carpenter, Tanaka, had been discovered hours afterwards, as they lived and worked under fairly isolated circumstances. So it made sense that the only death Inoue Kenzo was aware of was the one publicized in Konoha at the time, that of Matsuo Fumiko. Glancing up at Chihiro's closed expression, Shikamaru made an accurate guess that Saya's cousin had not informed her of the other two deaths so as not to upset her further.

"Anything, Saya-san. Any details may be useful."

"He said . . . he said that it was terrible. Those two children would be orphans. He was depressed . . . I saw him drink sake after lunch."

"Did he know the lady who passed away?"

"I . . . no." She shook her head, "Kenzo would have told me if he knew her. He was a quiet man . . . he was gentle. It must have upset him to think of those children." Here she looked up at him and he saw then, that her eyes were brimming with tears. "You see . . . we were going to try for children of our own . . ."

She broke off, overwhelmed by memory and bitter emotion. Chihiro rose hurriedly. "Nara-san . . ."

He held up a hand. "That's all right. I'll be going now. Thank you, Saya-san, I appreciate you finding the courage to speak about this."

Chihiro saw him to the door, waving gratefully, and he sighed once the door was closed, smoothing a hand over his hair. Hawk appeared noiselessly beside him. "Inoue may have known Matsuo. His response to the news of her death is otherwise illogical."

Shikamaru nodded. "I got that much. I'm a guy. If I were in his shoes, it wouldn't occur to me to imagine my own future children as those orphans and get depressed enough to take to drink. _She _may have been thinking about it quite a bit after he died. So naturally, her thoughts and wishes are subconsciously transferred to _him_."

Hawk nodded. "That is not unusual in many cases of witnessing the traumatic death of a loved one."

Casting his companion a curious glance, Shikamaru nodded. "Absolutely right. Let's go. The murder scene is up ahead."

**()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()**


	5. Adaptation

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto or any Naruto characters portrayed in this fic.

**A/N**: I would like to bring to attention something one of my reviewers kindly pointed out. The time settings of the story do not strictly follow each other for different characters. Kakashi and Naruto are following the same time intervals as Sakura and Shikamaru thus far (Day 4 since they departed Konoha on the mission). For this reason, I will now indicate precise days as from the start of Team Kakahi's mission with Igarashi. The timeline of this story follows the time-skip, after Naruto develops the Rasen-shuriken technique, but after that deviates from canon. Reviews and feedback appreciated!

**PART 1: Rift**

**Chapter 5: Adaptation**

_**Day 4 since Team Kakashi's departure from Konoha**_

Sakura huffed, one foot tapping impatiently on the rough, wooden floorboards.

"Nothing? Nothing at all?"

The proprietor of the rest stop shook his head, shooting a nervous glance at the black-gloved hand flexing unconsciously at her side. "No. That blonde shinobi . . . "

"Naruto," she corrected, almost automatically.

"Uh, yes. That. He was none too gentle. You know, threatening to break fingers, twisting his arm, up close and yelling . . . "

She sighed. "Mm. And he didn't talk?"

"He . . . screamed a lot. Looked ready to piss himself. But he insisted that he didn't know who sent them for Igarashi-sama. Not personally, at least. And then . . . Naruto disappeared. In a puff of smoke."

She guessed from the slight widening of his eyes that he wanted the information to shock her. Rolling her eyes, she said, "Yeah. He does that."

Slightly miffed, the proprietor seemed as if he were about to retort, then thought better of it. They were downstairs, in the eating area, devoid of all patrons on order of the proprietor (bullied, in turn, by Sakura) so that the bound and gagged hired thugs from the night before could be formally handed over to the local law-enforcement authorities by her. Needless to say, all complaints about loss of business and empty stomachs had died away when Sakura, with an icy countenance, grabbed the considerably taller and heavier prisoner by the belt, hefted him with seeming effortlessness over one slender shoulder and deposited him into the reinforced containment vehicle with enough force to shatter a collarbone. For the rest of the time spent waiting for Igarashi to make an appearance, she had been lost in gloomy contemplation of her team-mates' predicament.

If Naruto hadn't been able to get anything out of that low-level hireling, there was no doubt that their sensei had been on the right track. Either the kidnappers really weren't aware of the identity of the jutsu-creator, or they had been paid a large enough sum to keep even _their _mouths shut. Sakura doubted the latter possibility. Thugs like that would only accept payment up-front for this kind of job, and no such amount was found on any of the men they had incapacitated. She also knew that, in the face of potential torture from a _real _shinobi, they would give up the game at the drop of a hat. She sincerely hoped that it was the former explanation, in any case, since there was a third, much more disturbing possibility. That the hired kidnappers were so terrified of what might happen to them should they give away an identity, they were _willing _to undergo torture for it. Shaking her head to clear it of such thoughts, she looked up, noting the hesitant tap of a cane and the slow, steady footsteps of the proprietor's wife as she helped Igarashi down the staircase. Sakura straightened immediately, glad that this period of inaction was over.

"Ready, Igarashi-san?"

He gave a feeble nod, handing over the cane to the proprietor and stationing himself unsurely at her back which was now facing him. She felt a small stab of remorse and semi-amusement despite the situation. She was probably safe in the assumption that most elderly men, Igarashi included, would be very hesitant about hanging on, piggy-back fashion, to a teenage girl's shoulders while she hurtled at top speed down a main thoroughfare.

"Just link your hands under my chin . . . that's it. Rest your elbows on my shoulders so you won't feel the strain." With a quick motion, she hooked her elbows under the invalid's knees and hoisted him up, ignoring his slight murmur of protest at how ridiculous they looked. She almost overbalanced when she over-estimated his weight. He was shockingly light, limbs as fragile as a bird's, offering almost no burden to her at all. If she hadn't been planning to run the entire distance, she doubted she would have even required chakra to lift him. Her medic instinct told her an order to improve his diet was in order, but she had more pressing things on her mind.

"Has his luggage been sent ahead?"

The proprietor nodded. "All handled. Igarashi-sama paid for a very secure delivery. It will be there shortly before you reach his home."

Nodding, she tipped him a short farewell salute and headed out onto the road, breaking into a sprint as soon as the paved road leveled out into the endless, flat farmland ahead.

* * *

><p>Time to stuff your face, sensei!"<p>

Looking up, Kakashi's eye curved as he spotted the three rabbits, hanging from where their ears were fastened from a short length of rope suspended over his student's shoulder. "Great. I'll get a fire started."

Sighing deeply, Naruto collapsed by the small pile of firewood he had collected earlier, watching as his sensei produced a small blaze with a minimal fire jutsu. "Hey! You should be conserving your chakra!"

"Not to worry, I'm fine. The food should set me straight. And _you _aren't allowed to use ninjutsu."

"Huh?"

"A small jutsu like this is fine. But anything larger might alert the Iwa-nin to our presence. Which brings me to the crucial issue . . . I sensed your chakra flare earlier. Why on earth would you use Rasengan on a rabbit?"

"That wasn't a rabbit!"

"What was it, then?"

Naruto began to swing his arms about wildly, drawing huge proportions in the air. "It was a snake-lion-bear thing! It came at me from behind . . . just like those things in the Chuunin exams."

"Well, you survived," remarked the Jounin dryly, "Here, take a look at this."

Snatching at the grubby piece of paper, Naruto recognized his own handwriting. "Your kage bunshin brought it to me." Kakashi leant over, finger tracing a path over the roughly drawn map, sketched in charred wood. "This is the route we will take."

His student squinted. "But sensei . . . you want to take the path that goes past the Iwa outpost. You said . . . "

"I know. But something about this doesn't feel right. That jutsu that landed us here . . . they should have detected it. I was expecting a scouting team long before this. But . . . " He shrugged, "Nothing so far. I want to do a quick recon of their camp. See if we can find out anything about the current situation and if they received orders to stand by on this one. If that's the case, then . . . "

"They're waiting for back-up from Iwagakure." Naruto looked worried. "ANBU."

Kakashi nodded. "We'll get moving immediately after we eat."

"But . . . you- "

"I'm fine." The Jounin's tone was firm and Naruto knew there would be no budging him. "Once we get the information we need from the outpost, we'll plan accordingly. We _will _have a head-start on the reinforcements, so they'll probably only catch up to us once we're in the mountain pass. There, we can make use of the terrain to cover our tracks and hopefully, slow them down."

"Hey sensei," Naruto perked up, "The clone I left behind to interrogate that little prick . . . it sort of . . . "

Kakashi quirked an eyebrow. "Disappeared?"

Naruto was quick to reassure him. "Yeah, yeah, but still, I kicked him around real good. I'm pretty sure he didn't know anything about the guy who laid the jutsu trap."

"How can you be sure?"

"He mentioned a drop-point where they picked up instructions. They even found supplies for the kidnapping."

Kakashi hummed slightly. "Thought as much. And whatever clues are left behind from the activation of the jutsu . . . "

"Sakura-chan will take care of that!" Naruto positively beamed with pride.

His sensei chuckled lightly. "I'm sure she will. Let's round up here so we can get moving."

Naruto nodded. "We'll get these rabbits roasting and pack our stuff."

"Hmm . . . don't forget to skin them first."

"Skin your own rabbit!"

"I'm busy."

"Doing what?"

"Planning."

"Plan while you skin, then!"

"Naruto . . . I think there are certain fundamental things about a sensei-student relationship you fail to-"

"Like hell I do! Haul your lazy ass over here and bring a kunai!"

* * *

><p>Shivering in the chilly morning air, Shizune pulled her robe closer around her shoulders, yawning as she padded to the kitchen. Performing her morning routine mechanically, she paused, steaming cup of jasmine tea in hand, as she spied the beige folder on her desk. Flipping open to the first page of Shikamaru's report, she shook her head slightly, a bemused smile forming on her lips. A soft peck on the side of her neck alerted her to Kazuya's presence as he passed her on his way to the bathroom. She tugged his head down, a soft warmth filling her chest as she gave him a proper good-morning kiss. The tall, lanky, bespectacled Chuunin had joined their forensics taskforce on transfer from Konoha hospital a year ago, striking up an almost instant infatuation with her. After being pursued with apparently undying fervour, Shizune, although thoroughly enjoying the chase she rarely got to savour in her hectic schedule, eventually gave in. What had resulted had surprised her completely. She had never expected it to come to something this serious; to the extent that they all but lived together at her apartment now. He paused, glancing down at the file in her hand, eyebrow raised.<p>

"Bringing the work home, huh? Looks like I'll have to distract you a little more . . . "

She grinned up at him. "Don't you dare . . . I don't do this all the time!"

"Hmm." He nuzzled her, earning a sharp, none-too-convincing smack. "What is it?"

"It's the murder case." She sobered, tilting her head to get a better look at his face. "I handled the autopsies."

He scowled. "Stop. Don't do that . . . "

"Kazuya . . . "

"What?"

"It's just . . . I have this feeling. This case is not cut and dried. It's . . . weird."

"I know . . ." He stroked her cheek. "They've been running me ragged with paperwork at the morgue. Otherwise I could have arranged to sit in on this autopsy with you."

"It's not that." She smiled reassuringly. "Since when have I needed you to babysit me? It's . . . the way they were killed. Civilians being randomly executed? It's bizarre."

He nodded towards the file in her hand. "Random killings? No pattern?"

"Shikamaru seems to think there's a pattern." She shrugged. "I've worked with him in the field once before. Even without the 'Ino-Shika-Cho' trio formation, he's a force to be reckoned with. Tactically speaking, he's always at least ten steps ahead of everyone else."

Kazuya nodded slowly. "You think he's onto something."

"Maybe. The report doesn't really tell you much besides the summarized conclusions. I think he prefers organizing things in his head before making formal reports like these."

"Sounds like there's some hope then."

She gave a tentative smile. "Maybe."

* * *

><p>Questioning of the neighbours had yielded very little in the way of a groundbreaking lead. It struck Shikamaru as slightly strange that many of them were uncomfortable about being interviewed by him, even though Hawk had mysteriously and tactfully disappeared once more. Yes, he was fully aware that shinobi were regarded with admiration and a certain degree of awe as long as they were kept at arm's length, but he was pretty certain that he was the least intimidating of the lot. On the surface, that was. With his lackadaisical demeanor, hangdog face and inherently bad posture, he noticed that people who weren't very well acquainted with him tended to loosen up considerably in his presence and spout information they assumed would never reach anyone else's ears. Not that it did, but if they knew how their carelessly spilled secrets were carefully filed away for future reference, they would think twice about taking him into their confidence.<p>

He tried other subtle measures to gain the civilians' confidence. Taking into account Commander Sato's advice about blending in, he even adopted characteristics he had seen in other shinobi, provided that they weren't completely out of sync with his own image. He placed a cigarette between his teeth like Asuma-sensei used to and straightened his posture. His former teacher's rugged looks and masculine persona had often encouraged male bonding and a sort of back-slapping good humour amongst his colleagues. Shikamaru himself hated the cloying, stifling aroma of cigarettes, so he just left it there, unlit, and chewed on it like he would a blade of grass. In his subsequent interactions with the men, he noted that they were slightly keener to come forward, falling easily into 'drinking-buddy' camaraderie. There was still not much to be gleaned from their information. There had been nothing unusual, no suspicious activities or persons in the area recently. Yes, Inoue had been seen leaving for work that morning by several of them. One had even spotted him in the Konoha market place, from Shikamaru's estimate, a few hours before his return home and subsequent death. No, the observer had been too far away to notice facial expressions or whether Inoue had seemed out of sorts.

Shikamaru then approached the female half of his potential witnesses. He had a little more hope in that quarter, seeing as, in general, women seemed quite observant of their neighbours in small, closed-off communities such as this. After a moment's thought, he ditched the cigarette and, in the fashion of classic Kakashi-sensei, slouched with artful poise and adopted a cool, appraising glance. When he spoke, he altered his voice slightly, the timbre smoother and deeper in imitation of the elite Jounin. Oh, the eager reception he received. Granted, he had to sift through a lot of chaff to get to the elusive, golden grain, but when he did, it was quite a useful piece indeed. One of the neighbours had, upon looking through her own kitchen window, seen Inoue's wife, Saya, step into the backyard and begin to hang up the clothes. The neighbour had turned away from the window a few moments later in order to check on something she had on the boil, consulting the clock simultaneously. Her time had read four-twenty in the afternoon, and it was only a few minutes later that Inoue Kenzo stumbled out onto the back stairs and his wife began to scream. This allowed Shikamaru to pin-point the precise time of death with a range of accuracy within minutes.

Digesting this information, and realizing that it was the most he would get from the surrounding population, he made for Inoue's house. Hawk appeared soundlessly by his side.

"Civilian camouflage techniques. Interesting."

"Hmm. I just used whichever image worked best."

"You might have chosen Shiranui Genma to imitate. I've heard he's popular with women."

"Hey, hey, this isn't a seduction mission."

Hawk nodded in serious assent. "You're right. Although it is known that Hatake-senpai was equally proficient with those."

Shooting his partner another strange glance, Shikamaru frowned. "Really?"

"Yes."

"Huh. You ANBU get all the intel, seems like."

"I believe it's called the 'rumour-mill'."

_And you're chatty for an ANBU, aren't you?_ It was cleverly disguised, but Hawk, it seemed, had a penchant for humour of the dry species. Bone dry. They reached the Inoue cottage, Shikamaru stepping aside for Hawk to perform the necessary hand-seals to release the security jutsu over the entrance. A soft glow flared momentarily, lighting the dark interior and fading away. They entered, Shikamaru tapping the light switch on his way in. Although it was midday, the small house was quite dark, being situated in the lee of the hill, thus receiving early morning rays in the bedroom area and late-afternoon sunshine in the backyard. Unlike other homes they had passed on the way here, with windows flung wide onto beautifully tended, matchbox gardens and interiors lit brilliantly in the afternoons, the Inoue residence was situated in a fairly reticent spot where the only point of direct observation was from the kitchen window of the direct neighbours on the right, from where Inoue Saya had been seen exiting the house to hang up the laundry.

Shikamaru performed a cursory circuit of the house before coming to the sitting room, where the attack had evidently taken place. A frown settled on his brow as he took in the sight of the blood spatter on the seat of the couch and the angle at which the couch had been pushed during the killing. He turned on his heel and paced slowly from one end of the room to the other, catching Hawk's eye when he paused. The ANBU shook his head as if in answer to a silent question.

"No chakra traces."

"Yeah. Not even a trace here. No ninjutsu. Not that a shinobi would need any against a civilian."

The young Chuunin's eyes fell on the couch once again and he squatted, seemingly fixated by it. "Now this . . . "

Hawk approached and peered over his shoulder. "What is it?"

"It doesn't fit."

Without any qualms, Shikamaru abruptly shifted the bloodstained chair until it was straight once more and seated himself in it, leaning back until his head rested against the semi-hard cushioning. "See?"

Hawk cocked his head and stared for a few moments, then, "Ah."

Rising, Shikamaru shook his head. "If this was performed as a shinobi execution, then Inoue's throat would have been slit as he sat here, the blood from his jugular spurting outwards and running down on either side of his neck. The cushioning behind him would be stained somewhere at shoulder level and a minor spray would land on the seat between his legs. Here." He indicated the position. "But this blood spatter pattern . . ." He resumed the seat once more, then sprang up, spinning on his heel, catching his foot with deliberate clumsiness on the rug and jerking the sofa to the exact position they had found it in. "You see? From this angle . . . if he realized someone was behind him and sprang up, faced his attacker head on, _then _had his throat slit, then this spatter pattern makes perfect sense."

"Nara-san, there are many implications . . . "

"Hmm. We've established that the killer is most probably a shinobi, or at least, a highly skilled civilian who has knowledge of shinobi assassination techniques. That second one . . . rare, but not unheard of. We have to count all possibilities. And if he or she had the skill to carry out such perfect kills with the other victims . . . why did they allow Inoue to leap out of his seat and attempt a get-away before they cut his throat with the deliberate intent of drawing out his death and making him suffer?"

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You know . . . this just gets more and more personal. And only with Inoue Kenzo."

Hawk was staring at the bloodstains fixedly. "There is one explanation that seems to be most probable, Nara-san."

Shikamaru nodded, his gaze darkening. "The killer wanted Inoue to _know _who they were. They wanted him to be in no mistake about their identity." His eyes met the impassive pair behind the Hawk mask. "And that leaves one logical conclusion. Inoue Kenzo would have looked at his killer and known from his or her face that he was going to die. More importantly, he also knew _why_."


	6. Lady Luck

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto or any Naruto characters portrayed in this fic.

**A/N**: I would like to bring to attention something one of my reviewers kindly pointed out. The time settings of the story do not strictly follow each other for different characters. Kakashi and Naruto are following the same time intervals as Sakura thus far (Day 4 since they departed Konoha on the mission), but Shikamaru and others in Konoha are experiencing incidents in the time frame of a day later (Day 5 since Team Kakashi departs from Konoha). This will be made evident as the story continues, but I understand the confusion it may create now. For this reason, I will now indicate precise days as from the start of Team Kakahi's mission with Igarashi. The timeline of this story follows the time-skip, after Naruto develops the Rasen-shuriken technique, but after that deviates from canon. Reviews and feedback appreciated!

**PART 1: Rift**

**Chapter 6: Lady Luck**

_**Day 4 since Team Kakashi's departure from Konoha**_

All traces of their camp had been removed when they finally left late that afternoon. Hitching his pack higher on his shoulders, Naruto made a show of fiddling with the straps while he surreptitiously watched Kakashi for any signs of pain or exhaustion. The Jounin had risen and packed with an uncharacteristic stiffness, however, as he moved about removing the evidence of their occupation from the clearing, he covered up the affliction well enough. Naruto was in no way fooled. Kakashi turned to find his student observing him with a suspicious squint and a jutting lower lip that were severely lacking in any form of subtlety. He raised an enquiring eyebrow.

"What is it?"

"Are you sure we don't- "

"No, we can't afford to waste any more time," Kakashi replied shortly, "And if you keep looking at me like that . . . "

"You'll what?" Naruto jeered, far too cheerfully for the Jounin's liking. "Kick my ass with your tired old legs?"

"No." Calmly Kakashi approached and stopped very, very close to his former student. His voice took on a low, smoky tone of suggestion. "But you know, I haven't had any _action_ in an awfully long time- "

"AAAARRGGH! Get away from me you pervy-sensei! Don't disrupt my focus!"

Stifling the urge to laugh, Kakashi nodded mildly. "As you wish, Naruto. Did you memorize the map?"

"Yup. We're heading north-east, twenty clicks to the Iwa outpost."

"Then?"

"North-north-east, thirty three clicks, Iwa mountain pass to north of Waterfall Village."

"Good. Let's head out."

The gentle swaying of the trees ceased after a few moments, the only indication that the small clearing had been occupied moments before. Leaping from branch to branch in their favoured mode of travel, Naruto soon found that there were many differences as compared to traveling through the temperate forests of Fire Country. For a start, he was on constant alert for unwanted attention from the wild-life. His earlier hunting trip had resulted in more than a few nasty run-ins with the denizens of this jungle, and he wasn't keen for a repeat.

"Watch out for those giant mud-balls," he called to his sensei, "The dragon-birds don't like it when you get too close to their babies."

Kakashi nodded, skillfully avoiding a large snake that reared its head as he shot past. Naruto noted that the Jounin's earlier stiffness had all but disappeared. After some time, they paused, Kakashi raising a hand to halt their progress. Night was falling, the hum of insects and the rustlings of nocturnal predators becoming more distinct to their ears. Naruto joined him on the thick branch he had taken up a kneeling position on. Examining the portion of Kakashi's face visible above the mask, Naruto could hardly make out his sensei's current state of health. When he spoke however, he didn't even seem out of breath, which satisfied the young shinobi to an extent.

"The outpost is three clicks away. Their patrols will be traveling a circuit roughly within this range. We'll split, I'll take the north, you proceed from here. Check the patrol points thoroughly, we can't take any chances. Once you're in, you know what to do."

"Yes, sensei!"

Kakashi took off, a silent shadow passing him by with barely a rustle, the vest and dark clothes blending in seamlessly with the surrounding foliage. Naruto grinned slightly when he realized that his sensei had narrowly, and very intentionally, escaped the "look after yourself" he had been about to throw after him. Sentimentality wasn't either of their strong points after all. Nodding to himself, Naruto focused his mind, suppressing his chakra and bringing his hands together to form the seal for kage bunshin. One of the handy techniques he had achieved, through much meditation and long hours of practice whilst traveling with Jiraiya, was the ability to summon a clone in an area outside his range of vision. Hearing the faint, satisfying noise of the clone's sudden appearance, he leapt to a higher elevation before heading steadily and carefully towards the Iwa camp. One important point that Kakashi had stressed while they formulated an infiltration plan was that the Iwa-nin, unlike Konoha-nin, preferred to travel on the ground as opposed to tree-tops. The fact that they used Earth-oriented techniques made this the logical decision for them.

"Keep to the trees or try to stay air-borne as much as possible if you get caught in a confrontation," his sensei had warned.

Naruto's clone began to head away from him, but still within the range of the Iwa-nin patrol, making no effort to suppress its chakra signature. With any luck, it would draw away attention from his own, far more discreet passage towards the outpost. He met no resistance on his way there, although he did spot three fast-moving shapes on the forest floor, making their way rapidly in the direction his clone had headed.

_Gotta speed things up a bit._ Increasing his pace, he slipped into the shadows of the rough outer walls of the outpost. Running a finger over the mortar, he wrinkled his nose slightly at the strong traces of foreign chakra. The outer defenses were definitely the result of several powerful mud-wall jutsu, probably the same that Kakashi had copied with the help of his Sharingan. Glancing up, he noted the watch platform, doubling as a communication tower, as Kakashi had explained.

_Here goes! _Naruto's fingers crossed yet again, another clone forming a distance away, and, after a few tense minutes, he felt its silent presence at his side. Turning, he gave the clone a soft pat on the shoulder. "You know what to do."

He received a nod in response, and he crouched low, kunai at the ready as he watched the bunshin scramble quietly up the wall and disappear from view. When no shouts or alarms sounded, he followed the same path swiftly, arm scraping across the rough mud as he slid across the top and dropped to the other side. Using the intel gained from the scouting bunshin he had sent out before, Kakashi had managed to draw up a rough plan of where everything within the camp was situated. The watch-tower itself was easily spotted and the communication antennae reaching from the apex in a spindly iron-clad casing gave clear indication of its dual purpose. Directly in front of him were a few hulking, earth-encrusted barracks and, in the small gaps between walls, he could see the fire-lit space beyond. Slipping closer, careful to tread softly on the compacted soil beneath, he spied the source of the light, a large, circular walled brazier set into the ground, glowing coals beneath the mesh surface and the strangely dancing flames of the fire jutsu they supported flickering in molten tongues across the surface. Behind the brazier, across from the buildings that sheltered him, Naruto could see a high security bunker, steel doors firmly bolted from within. He could also sense two chakra signatures, but there were no shinobi in sight. Frowning, he guessed that the guards were posted _within _the construct. _Huh. Some security for such a small base . . . _

He returned his attention to the guard tower. Two more shinobi were visible, rough outlines in the dark, one posted on the look-out platform at the top and the other leaning nonchalantly at the base of the tall building. Taking a chance, he slipped his head out of the shadowy aperture between the barracks, taking a quick peek now that the whole structure was visible. A shape was clambering nimbly and silently up the side of the tower directly beneath the look-out. His clone. Only Naruto was aware of its presence thus far. The bunshin came to a halt just beneath the platform, separated from the Iwa-nin above by only the thin wooden floorboards. Holding his breath, Naruto waited. The clone waited.

And then, swift as a striking cobra, Kakashi lashed out from the shadows. A soft 'oomph' was the only sound that gave away the incapacitation of the look-out shinobi. Naruto saw the outline of his body slump forward. _Now! _In an instant, the clone was bounding up, leaping onto the platform now that the first obstacle had been dealt with. The Iwa-nin at the base of the tower had sprung upright, slightly slow to react in his uncertainty of what had just occurred. The sounds of furniture being overturned and the hasty search Naruto's bunshin was conducting in the small office area of the tower put paid to his hesitation. He drew a kunai, free hand forming a quick set of seals. He never saw the silver-haired man who appeared suddenly behind him, the handle of a kunai dealing a vicious blow to the back of his head. Across the heat distorted space above the brazier, Kakashi's eyes met his student's, Sharingan rotating hypnotically, demonically red in the light of the glowing embers. The older man gave him a single, swift nod. _Proceed as planned._ He was gone before the shinobi's body hit the ground with a muffled thump. Not for the first time, Naruto uttered a silent prayer of relief that he and his sensei were fighting on the same side.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Day 5 since Team Kakashi's departure from Konoha<strong>_

It was drifting towards dusk when Shikamaru left the former Inoue residence. Hawk had bidden him a short farewell and left as soon as they had set foot on the narrow road winding towards the hill. Heaving a sigh, the young Chuunin unzipped his flak vest halfway, tugging at the collar to loosen it slightly. Casting a final glance at the house now hidden in the lee of the slope he had passed, he focused chakra to his feet and sped towards Konoha. Tonight, he would make his next report and hand it in to the Hokage with a copy for Commander Sato. Thus far, although he had made some insightful conclusions regarding the mode and focus of the killer, there was no solid evidence that pointed to a particular motivation or a possible suspect. All in all, he was inclined to regard the case as somewhat frustrating.

Slowing down as he reached the gates, he nodded to Izumo and Kotetsu at the front desk, receiving a cheery wave and a tonsil-exposing yawn respectively. Apparently, the compulsive syrup-guzzler had not received his daily dose. Shaking his head, he strolled further, straightening in recognition of a familiar face.

"Shiikamaruuuuu!"

"Ino."

Running up to greet him, his blonde team-mate looked more excitable than usual. "Hey! I heard they put you on that murder case . . . is it true?"

"Um . . . yeah."

"Shizune-san mentioned something about it. She left before I could ask her." Ino pouted, tapping one foot. "See what a stranger you've become! I have to find out from other people."

He gave a tired chuckle. "It's not really much. I'm liaising with the Konoha Policing Department. I report to them and directly to Hokage-sama."

Ino nodded, face suddenly taking on a grave expression. "Those murders . . . they're quite something, huh? Did you have to go to the morgue?"

"I viewed the bodies. Not violent or messy. But lethal . . . efficient."

"So what they're saying is true?" Her voice took on a hushed note. "A shinobi did this?"

"Oi, Ino, I'm not allowed to . . . "

Their conversation was cut off by the abrupt appearance of Hawk. Accustomed as he was to the ANBU's sudden flickers into and out of sight, Shikamaru merely frowned, while Ino jumped slightly and shot the masked man a huffy look.

"Hawk?"

"You are to come immediately, Nara-san."

"The Hokage wants the report now? I haven't - "

"No." The ANBU's tone was curt. "There has been another murder."

Ino gasped. "Another one? Who was it?"

Hawk glanced at her, but addressed Shikamaru again. "You are to follow me to the scene. It is a matter of urgency."

The young Chuunin raised a hand. "Coming. See you later, Ino."

She nodded mutely in response.

They took off, a pall of dust from the dry streets hanging in their wake. Shikamaru glanced over at his silent companion, sensing an additional detail that probably could not have been revealed in the presence of Ino. "What is it?"

Hawk was silent for a moment. "This victim, Nara-san . . . he was a shinobi."

* * *

><p>"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune's tone was unusually panic stricken, "What are we going to -"<p>

"Calm down, Shizune!" Tsunade's voice was brittle with tension as she tapped the scroll she held against her palm. "Let's think this through."

"But the Ambassador from Earth Country - "

"I know!" Inhaling deeply, the older woman handed the scroll over to her assistant. "Make a copy of Sakura's message and send the original to Jiraiya. He's in town, thank Kami for that. He's the only one who can fully interpret these seals. And he'll also want to know about Naruto and Kakashi."

Shizune looked on the verge of tears. "It was a C-rank mission, shishou! I had no idea . . . if I'd known . . . "

The Hokage's eyes softened, a glimpse of her own concern momentarily visible. "This is nobody's fault, besides whoever thought up this sick scheme, Shizune. I need you to focus. Get those copies made and find Jiraiya immediately!"

"Yes, Hokage-sama! I'll send the Earth Ambassador in." She hesitated, frowning, "I think something serious came up . . . he said it was vital that he sees you at once."

"Send him in. We'll see what he has to say, then make the decisions."

Nodding uncertainly, her assistant bustled out of the office and a few moments later, a formally robed, elderly man entered. Tsunade stood to welcome their visitor.

"Suzuki-dono. It is an honour."

Thus addressed, the man bowed. "Hokage-sama, the honour is mine." Closer to, she could see that he was probably a retired shinobi. Despite the toll age and infirmity had taken, he still moved with remnants of grace and vigour, walking freely without the aid of a cane or support. And his eyes were sharper than a hawk's. She could tell that she was being scrutinized just as closely.

"I hope you have enjoyed your stay in Konoha so far. I apologise for the slight delay, we're dealing with some serious issues at present. It seems that you wish to bring an urgent matter to my attention?"

Suzuki nodded gravely. "I received a communication from Iwagakure a short while ago. There has been a . . . disturbance on the Earth Country border."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Disturbance?"

He seemed to hesitate and Tsunade felt impatience building. _Spit it out, you old geezer._

"The nature of the disturbance was a power surge of some kind . . . we cannot pinpoint exactly what caused it at present, but we believe it to be the direct result of a powerful jutsu."

There was something in his voice that made her straighten, shoulders squaring in apprehension. "And why did you wish to consult me about this?"

"This power surge, whatever the cause, was detected near an outpost on our country's border. Shortly afterwards, foreign chakra signatures were detected in the forest close by." Again he hesitated, hands linking over his stomach. "A few days before this incident, our Intelligence headquarters in Iwagakure received a communication of serious import from an anonymous source. The source stated that an infiltration would occur within our borders, with the intention of gathering illegal knowledge of our defenses and military. In short, the message warned us of spies within our country. It also provided the information, I regret to inform you, Hokage-sama, that these spies would be from Fire Country. From Konoha."

She stared at him, eyes wide with incredulity. "_What_? Do you realize what you're saying?"

"I'm afraid I know all too well. I speak with you now _against _the wishes of many of our internal council. There may have been an error in the intelligence, or the spies themselves may be masquerading as Konoha-nin. Which is why we need to clarify this issue immediately."

"But of course! This is an outrageous accusation! Konoha has strived _so hard _to maintain peaceful relations - " She stopped, realizing that her voice had been steadily rising in proportion to her temper. Taking a breath, she continued, "There is no doubt that you have either been misinformed, or these so-called 'spies' are merely imposters. Is there any evidence you can provide that there is truth to these accusations?"

He shook his head slowly, but something in his expression had her on edge once more. "We have nothing to go on besides the communication itself, and the description of the shinobi infiltrators we were provided with therein. And, again, I must point out with great regret, these descriptions match very well with two relatively well known shinobi who are definitely based in Konoha."

_Two relatively well known shinobi . . . _She felt the bile rise in her throat as a horrible thought assailed her, barely registering Suzuki's next words. " . . . possess characteristics that cannot be duplicated by any form of henge or genjutsu. The one I speak of in particular is one Hatake Kakashi, known to possess an implanted Sharingan of the Uchiha clan. The other is rumoured to be the holder of the Kyuubi, one Uzumaki Naruto."

_Their _names, uttered with such detachment, such cool speculation. Each struck her, wrenched the fabric of her mind as if the very thought were poisonous, barbed. _Kakashi . . . Naruto . . . _

The table splintered under her descending hands as she stood, aware that Suzuki had paused, watching her warily. "Enough. Both the men you have named are thoroughly loyal, exemplary shinobi of Konoha. I would trust them both with my own life, with the safety of this _village_."

He raised his hands placatingly, but there was no panacea to soften his sharp gaze. "I have no doubt that they have served you well. Their exploits are well known, even in our country. But . . ." And the gravity of his voice was unmistakable, "Every country must protect its resources with a full arsenal if those assets are _threatened_. What we have received so far is nowhere near enough proof to fully implicate either of these men. There is a very strong possibility that these may be skilled imposters. However, if we gain evidence to show that these two men are, in actual fact, the shinobi named, then . . . I'm afraid that Konoha will have to answer for this grave breach of our peace treaty."

The meaning of his words was implicit. _How on earth did this happen? _

Fighting off a rising wave of helplessness that threatened to overpower her, she marshaled her thoughts. Tsunade was a gambler. Not a good one, by any means. In fact, she was downright abysmal. Even she would occasionally admit to that. And here she was, faced with deciding on which hand to play, fully aware that the winning cards would save her village and two of her dearest shinobi. If she lost, however, it would result in far more than incurring a huge debt. _If he doesn't respond the way I need him to . . . it might mean another shinobi war._

Facing Suzuki squarely across the desk, the Hokage linked her fingers on the table-top. "Suzuki-dono . . . there is something you need to know. An incident that occurred a few days ago, on what should have been a routine C-rank mission . . . "

_Naruto, Kakashi, wherever you are, please be safe. I don't know how much time I can buy. _

With a subtle tap of her foot under the desk, she activated a secret command. A single sheet of chakra paper was inserted under the heel of her sandal by the unseen ANBU. Speaking forcefully, clearly, she commanded Suzuki's full attention while her legendary precision with chakra control allowed her to inscribe a message into the paper by chaneling in measured bursts. Another tap and the message was removed.

Seven minutes later, Hyuga Hinata, Aburame Shino and Inuzuka Kiba each received an urgent summons. They were to prepare, with immediate effect, for an A-rank tracking and retrieval mission on the border of Earth country.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Here's more insight into the plot thus far! Next up: **Part 2: Flight**


	7. Part II: Flight: Gaining Ground

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto or any Naruto characters portrayed in this fic.

**A/N**: I would like to bring to attention something one of my reviewers kindly pointed out. The time settings of the story do not strictly follow each other for different characters. Kakashi and Naruto are following the same time intervals as Sakura thus far (Day 5 since they departed Konoha on the mission), but Shikamaru and others in Konoha are experiencing incidents in the time frame of a day later (Day 6 since Team Kakashi departs from Konoha). This will be made evident as the story continues, but I understand the confusion it may create now. For this reason, I will now indicate precise days as from the start of Team Kakahi's mission with Igarashi. The timeline of this story follows the time-skip, after Naruto develops the Rasen-shuriken technique, but after that deviates from canon. Reviews and feedback appreciated!

**PART 2: Flight**

**Chapter 7: Gaining Ground**

_**Day 6 since Team Kakashi's departure from Konoha**_

"What's _he _doing here?"

"K - Kiba-kun!"

"Yeah, yeah, he's a Sannin, but - "

Kiba's rant was abruptly brought to a halt by the silent, yet sudden appearance of a familiar hooded shinobi.

"Why? That is a very good question. I'm afraid I don't know why Jiraiya-sama awaits us."

Ignoring the slightly odd looks he was receiving from his team-mates, Shino led the way towards the main gate. The flowing white ponytail and towering stature that had announced the Sannin's presence served to silence them until they stood in a disciplined row before him. Jiraiya looked uncharacteristically grave, the corners of his mouth slightly downturned in a small echo of the deep frown furrowing his brow.

"Jiraiya-sama? Our orders were to meet you here."

Kiba received a nod in response while Jiraiya scrutinized them carefully. "All right, you three, I'm guessing you weren't briefed before you got here. No surprise there, we've got no time to hang around. I see you're all properly equipped for this mission. Good."

He turned and gestured for them to follow. Exchanging glances, the three young shinobi nodded in swift acknowledgement. "Yes, Jiraiya-sama!"

A few moments later the wide main street was empty, faint chakra traces the only indication that the four-shinobi cell had stood to attention shortly before. Indeed, the pace that Jiraiya set was almost punishing to the younger members of Team 8 as they increased the chakra they channeled to their legs and feet in order to keep up with him. When they were approximately a mile from Konoha, still traveling along the main road, past the small settlements that punctuated the endless farmland, Jiraiya slowed his pace just enough to explain their mission.

"Right, here's the situation. Team Kakashi was sent on a C-rank mission two days ago. They ran into some . . . problems. First, the client was kidnapped. They followed and caught up easily, but, as it turns out, the kidnapping was a set-up."

"A set-up?" Kiba's ears visibly perked. "For who?"

Hinata turned pale. "N - Naruto-kun? Is he . . . "

"That's exactly what we don't know." Jiraiya turned away, a shadow passing across his face, lines etched deep where they were normally barely visible, a marked testimony of the worry he felt. "Sakura got away safe. She's on her way back to Konoha to re-group with whatever search party was sent out, namely, us. That's why we're taking the main road. It's the route she'll be taking back. Once we meet with her she'll take us directly to the site - "

He stopped abruptly, head snapping to the left where he had sensed a sudden spike in a certain chakra signature. Hinata was suddenly right beside him and, when she spoke, there was no presence of the characteristic stutter. "Naruto-kun. Where is he now?"

"Kakashi and Naruto were hit by the enemy's jutsu. A fuuinjutsu that was a modification of the famous 'Flying Thunder God' technique used by the Fourth." He produced a scroll from an inner pocket and tossed it over to the indigo-haired girl. "That's a copy of the markings that Sakura transcribed from the jutsu. The technique tracks unique chakra signatures, in this case, Naruto and Kakashi, and forcibly transports them to a specified area. It seems to draw upon many principles of ninja summons, as the jutsu is activated by a third party and not the target shinobi who are transported."

Kiba cursed violently and Shino spoke for the first time since leaving Konoha. "And so you think they've been transported to Earth country? That's where our mission states we are headed."

Jiraiya nodded. "The co-ordinates are clearly marked on the fuuinjutsu, but it indicates an area _outside _Earth Country. However, the fact that Naruto and Kakashi ended up so much closer to home than intended comes as no surprise."

"There was a mistake in the jutsu?"

"No. Kakashi's Sharingan has some . . . unique abilities. He would have been able to counter the jutsu, but only so much as his chakra reserves allowed."

Kiba shook his head. "Whatever the case, they're in bad territory. If the Iwa-nin find them - "

"Then shouldn't Hokage-sama have sent an ANBU extraction team instead of us?" Hinata interrupted brusquely yet again, receiving a bemused look from her team-mate.

Jiraiya grunted. "And there we hit yet another snag. The Earth country ambassador met with Tsunade-sama last night. The Iwa-nin are already aware that Naruto and Kakashi are within their borders. Their communication is actually the only reason we know where those two are right now."

Kiba stumbled slightly. "_What_?"

"Tsunade has explained as much of the situation to the ambassador as possible. Everything about the mission and how those two were set up as spies. He seems to understand, but has made it clear that not all members of the Iwagakure governing council will be willing to take such a tolerant view. Some of them, it seems, are just itching to exact old vengeances from the war. And any excuse looks like a good one. Sending an entire ANBU unit who might engage the Iwa-nin is like an outright declaration of hostility on _Konoha's _part."

"But then . . . " Hinata's lips set in a tight, tense line.

"They'll wage war on Konoha anyway. And Naruto and Kakashi will be the catalysts." Shino's bleak statement settled a heavy pall of silence over their party.

And yet again, it was Hinata who uncharacteristically injected them with new resolve. "No, they won't. Not if _we _get to them first. Naruto-kun and Kakashi-sensei are depending on us."

Jiraiya shot her a glance. Then another. And finally his gaze wandered below her neck-line. The infamous Sannin's final thoughts on that subject were something to the effect of '_Tch. That Naruto. Not only is her passionate devotion obvious, they're practically bouncing out of that baggy jacket. What _have _I been teaching him?' _

* * *

><p><em><strong>Day 5 since Team Kakashi's departure from Konoha<strong>_

The student whose intelligence was in question was engaged in a task that required all the skill he possessed as a shinobi. Hiding. Or keeping as silent and still as possible while concealing his chakra. He watched as his clone shouted out from the tower, the signal that it had found what it was looking for, and leapt off the platform, heading for the forest. The other clone he had sent out earlier to draw off the patrol had been dissipated some time before. A flood of images had come back to him, of shouting, flashing kunai and crushing earth. It was only a matter of minutes before the patrol would return. In the ring of firelight before him the shapes of the battling shinobi were barely visible, the air thick with choking clouds of dust raised by the earth jutsu of the Iwa-nin as they desperately tried to incapacitate the lithe, dancing predator in their midst. Kakashi was his only point of clarity, the iron-plated, lightning clad fist tearing through the heavy atmosphere, sparking and sizzling with a charge that raised the hairs on Naruto's arms. Feet shifted, chakra laden to enhance their speed, but the silver haired man was always faster, a fine mist of blood and the thump of falling bodies trailing in his wake.

And then there was a moment, one heart-stopping moment, when he stumbled. A kunai winging straight for his throat as he jerked forward, the wielder's eyes wide with terror, barely watching as he swung the blade wildly in Kakashi's general direction. A clang rang through the clearing as one of Naruto's own missiles collided with the Iwa-nin's, knocking the blade off target so that it merely scraped along Kakashi's cheek, slicing through the upper portion of the dark, close-fitting mask. A few moments later, the unfortunate man's arm cracked under a well-placed blow and he collapsed, the armor-plate on the back of Kakashi's glove smashing the bridge of his nose and forcing his head back into an unconscious slump. There was a pause as the fighting died down, the Iwa-nin who had fought bravely to defend their outpost heaped around the central brazier.

Naruto was about to move to his sensei's assistance, despite the plan, when Kakashi's head snapped around and, beneath the torn mask, his nose twitched. Instantly, Naruto was back on guard, chakra suppressed as low as possible. The patrol had finally arrived. _Talk about screwed up timing. _Turning his attention back to Kakashi, he saw the man tilt his head slightly in the direction he knew Naruto occupied and nod. _Phase 2. _Gritting his teeth, he watched as Kakashi raised a kunai, in the defensive once more, but making no move to conceal himself.

Despite common opinion, Naruto was no imbecile when it came to battle. Indeed, there was nobody more unpredictable and yet, reliable enough to watch a comrade's back when they were in a pinch. He had known this moment would come, had been prepared for it. Still, watching his sensei's heaving shoulders, listening to his slightly ragged breathing and remembering that near-fatal stumble, Naruto found himself torn between staying hidden as planned or rushing headlong in to assist. Traveling by tree-top hadn't taxed his sensei nearly as much as the fight, which required him to use jutsu, draining his already dangerously low chakra reserves. As if reading his mind, Kakashi stiffened and shot a glance over his shoulder. Naruto knew what that look meant. _Stay put. Or else. _

The three chakra signatures became more distinct and a second later Naruto heard a muffled curse from one of them as they took in the decimated forces of their camp. There would be no mistaking that the masked man standing in the midst of the wreckage was anything but the culprit. One of the patrol stepped forward and Naruto could see from his ready stance that he was by far the most battle-hardened. A grizzled beard, flecked with iron grey and bisected by a long, white scar on the left cheek and the large indent on his upper bicep, a mark of flesh being blown away by explosives, were as good an indication as any. The dark, hooded eyes traveled sharply from the unconscious shinobi, to the ransacked communication tower, to Kakashi, then fixed with great attention on the Sharingan's slowly rotating tomae.

"So our information was right. It _is _you. Sharingan Kakashi." His eyes shifted slowly around the clearing. "And that means your partner isn't far away. Tell me, where _can _he have got to? The nine tails is no small bargaining chip."

Naruto suppressed a gasp._ They know! _But how? How had a communication from Iwagakure carried such detailed and accurate information? Sure, knowledge of Kakashi was no surprise, but of _him_? And the man had seemed pretty sure about the Kyuubi. Tsunade had repeatedly drilled into his head that outside of Fire Country, the whereabouts and identity of Jinchuuriki were closely guarded secrets, until said demon host created a name for him or herself in battle. Naruto had taken on Akatsuki and defeated members of that terrible organization on more than one occasion, but those exploits were relatively recent. It should have taken a lot more time for these events to reach the ears of shinobi in other countries. At this rate, he would make the bingo books at S-Rank level. Bringing his attention back to the scene before him, he saw Kakashi's eyes narrow.

"Who I am isn't important. I left these shinobi alive, and that isn't because I'm feeling sentimental. Make one wrong move and whoever finds you will have the fun task of playing jigsaw with your body-parts."

Naruto saw the old shinobi's hackles rising at the taunt. His voice however, betrayed none of his anger. "Alive, huh? How generous. And to what do we owe this goodwill?"

"You received a communication concerning us. I've already taken a copy." He tapped one of the pockets on his Jounin vest that Naruto knew contained nothing but summoning scrolls. "But since I probably won't have the time to read it due to the attention you guys will lavish on me, why don't you spare me the trouble and tell me what it says?"

It was a long shot, and Naruto knew that his sensei was probably aware that it wouldn't work. The Iwa-nin raised an eyebrow while his two younger companions shifted with visible unease and shot each other glances. "Oh? But since you're the spies here, wouldn't you know better?"

_Spies? _A cold feeling began to unfurl in Naruto's stomach. _Someone told them we're spies?_ The instinct to grab his sensei and hightail it out of there grew stronger. He could tell, from the very subtle body language, that this was news to Kakashi too. Slowly, Naruto brought his hands up to either side of his face and pressed down, thinking as hard as he could. He knew that in the ten minutes it took him to figure things out, that same train of thought would flash through his sensei's razor sharp mind in the matter of a few seconds. Kakashi would plan ahead and, since they wouldn't be able to communicate directly from now on, Naruto had to ensure that his thought processes were only a step behind the older man's. _Think, idiot!_ _Right, ok. The message these guys got from Iwagakure told them who we are and that we're spies. But this outpost is at least three days away from Iwagakure. The message was sent before we even got here . . . they were expecting us! But how?_

His inner monologue was cut short as the old Iwa-nin spoke again. "It's useless, you know. Iwa was just waiting for confirmation from us. When we sensed the chakra pulse from the forest, we immediately sent out a reply to them and told them you were here. The ANBU units are probably only hours away by now. I can see that you haven't killed anyone, and that might work in your favour. Give yourselves up. I can't promise that you'll live if you don't."

Kakashi tapped his chin, as if thinking it over, then his eye curved in mocking response. "Is that so? And when I'm in captivity, do you think your masters will forget that one of the highest casualties of Iwa-nin was brought about by none other than myself?"

The old shinobi's eyes widened in shock and rage. "_Son of a bitch_, " he hissed, " You think you can WALTZ in here - "

"One hundred and twenty three."

"What?"

"One hundred and twenty three," Kakashi's voice was low, steel sheathed in velvet. "That's the number of men I killed. _Your _men. During the war and after, when I joined ANBU. And you'd do well to remember that there were atrocities on _both _sides." And here, confusing Naruto even further, he saw his sensei gesture to his Sharingan. It did seem to mean something to the Iwa-nin, though, as Naruto saw the anger dissipate from his frame and a calculating look replace it. "No," Kakashi continued, "I don't think I'll take you up on that offer. If you want to take me in, come and get me."

As soon as the words left his tongue, a dark shape lashed out from the shadows behind the three Iwa-nin. The silver-haired shadow clone dropped low, sweeping a leg out to topple one of the younger shinobi, then using the momentum behind the man's fall to crack his jaw with an audible snap. Swearing, the old Iwa-nin moved with surprising speed, hand seals forming in a well-trained blur. A series of tall, earthen spikes shot up around them, spearing the clone which disappeared in a puff of smoke. The jutsu did not stop there, however. The ground ruptured in a heaving line, heading with frightening speed straight to where Kakashi stood. The Jounin's lithe form disappeared in an instant, a small cloud of dust forming where his chakra-powered leap had propelled him out of the jutsu's reach. The skewering rock barely cleared his sandaled foot as he spun in mid-air, and Naruto caught the tail end of his hand seals. A wall of earth, snarling hounds etched into the dark surface, surged up from the ground, blocking off the Iwa-nin's technique. The spikes cracked, crumbling away from the force of the wall's thrust.

Seeing an opening, the remaining younger Iwa-nin raced forward, weaving his way through the pillars his partner had raised. As he ran, a fine cloud of dust gathered and settled around his fist, solidifying to form a rock-like gauntlet. Leaping high, he came down with a fierce blow, burying his reinforced arm into the wall to bring it down. The ground shuddered under the force of the considerable punch, and Naruto clenched his fists as he saw the wall begin to crumble. The old Iwa-nin seemed to see something that neither he nor the youngster had either, as his triumphant look swiftly changed to one of horror.

"Get back! _Get out of there_!"

Confusion and fear showed clearly on the young shinobi's face as he tugged his hand away from the wall only to find that he was firmly lodged. Naruto felt the electric charge before he saw it, the numerous crackling orbs of energy that condensed from where they had been hidden in the crumbling earth, lancing straight through to the hapless man trapped directly in their path. The sizzling bolt struck him full on, tearing him clear of the wall and depositing him with a muffled, heavy thump at the feet of his superior where he jerked spasmodically for a few moments before falling still. The smell of singed hair and cloth filled the clearing, but from the faint chakra pulse Naruto could tell that the shinobi was alive, if barely.

Kakashi was once more visible, perched jauntily on the tip of one of the spikes. Despite the sweat showing on his partially revealed features, he seemed composed. "What a cute student you have. And he respects you. Mine are rude and rowdy and make naughty jokes about my sexuality - "

He was cut off abruptly by a snarl from the old shinobi who suddenly swung his arms in a wide circle. Thin, almost invisible snare wires shot up from the ground around the silver haired man, slicing forward, trapping him and cutting into his flesh. A dark spray jetted out from where the zinging, snapping wires had snagged his throat, but, yet again, the Iwa-nin's victory was short lived as the rest of Kakashi's form collapsed inwards in the form of the same dark sludge; a mud clone.

"_Bastard_!" Hissing and spitting curses, the older shinobi was speeding off in a flash, disappearing in the same direction Kakashi had taken. Phase one had worked perfectly. The other shinobi were incapacitated and the only remaining threat was completely focused on Kakashi, the Jounin's earlier taunts and hostility serving to fuel the righteous vengeance that lurked in the heart of every war veteran. He would follow Kakashi, fight him, and only much later, when his mind cleared, would he wonder where the other reported spy had been. And by then, it would be too late to back-track.

The coast clear, Naruto emerged from his hiding place, gingerly dislodging his fingernails from where they had dug into his palms during his sensei's battle. _Kakash-sensei's strong. He'll be fine. He's not stupid, he'll know what to do. I have do my part of the mission, or it'll all be for nothing. _The heavy steel door of the bunker was draped in camouflage netting, probably to keep the metal from overheating due to its proximity to the brazier. Behind the door, he sensed the two guards' chakra signatures suddenly spike. Now that all signs of the battle had faded, they were preparing to emerge to perform a reconnaissance of the camp. The fact that they had exercised the will to remain at their guard posts meant that they were either experienced and highly disciplined or young and terrified of disobeying orders. Acting fast, he leapt over the unconscious forms of the Iwa shinobi, dragging and kicking them out of the path of any damage he would incur. He could not allow the two shinobi within to open that door. Once they realized that an enemy was still within the camp, there was a chance that they would return to the safety of the bunker and lock him out. By the time he gained entry, they would probably have had ample time to destroy the document he was after. The element of surprise was key. Or at least, according to Kakashi.

Reaching into his pouch, he withdrew the high-powered explosive tags Kakashi had provided him with before they reached the outpost. These were strictly Jounin-issue due to the sheer explosive force contained within, but Kakashi had explained clearly and thoroughly how to use them beforehand. And he trusted Naruto with them, which spoke volumes. Behind the steel door, something shifted. The shinobi within were de-activating the locking mechanisms. There were three vacuum-powered locks on every bunker door, a standard precaution. In the case of an attack, all three locks would be activated, with thirty second intervals between each unlocking sequence once the door was opened from within. The first lock clicked open. He had sixty seconds.

Quickly, Naruto peeled away the thin transparent film that kept the ink on the tags intact. Reaching out with his chakra, he activated first one, then the other. He pulled the small charges out of his pouch and stuck them carefully around the periphery of each tag in the exact pattern Kakashi had indicated. These charges were what channeled and magnified the explosion ignited by the tag. The second lock clicked open. He had thirty seconds.

He darted towards the bunker door and placed one tag firmly at the bottom right hand corner. Pulling a length of wire from his pack, he stretched his arms out as far as they would go, measuring the point to place the second tag on the upper half of the door, precisely one hundred and eighty degrees to the first. A fait whirring reached his ears now that he was so close to the door. Ten seconds. Slapping the tag into place, he leapt away, fingers already raised into the ram seal.

"RELEASE!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>Day 6 since Team Kakashi's departure from Konoha<strong>_

The place was swarming with ANBU when they arrived. Hawk was a few steps ahead, raising his hand in an 'all clear' signal to give the others indication that Shikamaru had clearance to pass through. He received yet another surprise when he saw the tall figure of Commander Sato approach him.

"Nara-san," was the curt greeting he received. "We have a situation."

He nodded grimly in reply. "Hawk informed me of the murder, Sato-sama. A shinobi?"

"Yes. You may even be acquainted with him."

Shikamaru's head snapped up, eyes searching the Commander's face. "What do you mean?"

"This man was an instructor at the Academy. He taught the youngest recruits. Daisuke-san."

"D - Daisuke-sensei? He's the fifth victim?"

"Unfortunately, yes." The Commander examined him carefully for a moment. Although Shikamaru prided himself on his impassivity, something of the shock he felt must have shown in his face, because the older man slowly turned away. "You may have a moment. The autopsy team has already been called in, but they will not be able to move the body until the room is thoroughly swept for all chakra traces."

"Uh . . . yes, sir. Thank you."

He watched the Commander stride away, back erect, the slight limp in his gait, before facing the small, peach-coloured house. It was one in a row facing the street, the adjoining houses all interlinked. From the outside it looked peaceful enough, the eaves and sills well-maintained and painted in neat, attractive white, window-boxes overflowing with herbs and colour-laden flowers. Shikamaru noticed Hawk's gaze on him and shifted uncomfortably, fully aware that he was noticing all these smaller details to detract from the situation they were facing.

"Did you know this shinobi well?"

"Not really, no. He taught us in our first year at the Academy. I hardly remember him, as a matter of fact."

"Was he a good sensei?"

Shikamaru shrugged, noting the odd phrasing of the question. Hawk sounded entirely unfamiliar with the Academy. "As I said, I hardly remember anything about him. I never paid much attention in class, anyway. I do know that he retired about two years before we graduated. They had a small going-away party for him and someone gave Iruka-sensei too much sake. I remember that because it was the first and only time Iruka-sensei was absent. He was so hungover - "

Abruptly, he stopped. Hawk waited, quietly, patiently. Shikamaru sighed. "Sorry. I _didn't _know him well . . . it's just . . . "

"He was always there."

A short silence followed. "Yeah. That's it, I think. He was part of the Academy."

"Shall we go in?"

Shikamaru nodded, slightly relieved. They trudged forward, Hawk nodding to the ANBU guard at the entrance of the house. The cat-masked woman pointed them in the right direction. "Through those doors. He's in the living room."

They passed through the small passage, neat and thoroughly swept, the photographs mounted on the wall catching Shikamaru's attention. There were three, the first of Daisuke-sensei as a youngster, distinctive even then with his short, compact frame, heavy shoulders and square face. The second below it showed what looked like a family photo, with a possible father and sister. The third was an Academy photo and his eyes were immediately drawn to Iruka-sensei, looking very young and awkward on the periphery. Following the row of teachers, his gaze alighted on Daisuke as he remembered him. It had been many years. Calculating in his head, Shikamaru estimated that the man would currently be in his fifties. Or rather, _had been _in his fifties. Hawk had disappeared into the room ahead of him. Following swiftly, he entered, eyes widening slightly at the sight which met him.

The smell was what hit him first, the choking, cloying, metallic scent of blood, underneath which he detected the faint sickly-sweetness of decay. It was everywhere. Scarlet sprayed over the sofa, the faint flower-patterned walls, finely dotting the ceiling and dripping from the lampshade in congealing clots. In the midst of it all, arranged with macabre demureness, sat the corpse of the former Academy teacher, completely unrecognizable. From as far back as he stood, Shikamaru could see the signs of torture. Hands placed carefully on the knees, bloody, empty spaces where the fingernails had been. The shirt, neatly buttoned and tucked into the trousers, bloodstains from the slashed torso beneath soaking through the fabric, dried so hard that he was sure the material would snap if he exerted pressure. Although the legs were also neatly arranged, as if the man were sitting down to dinner, it was obvious that the knees had been broken, the angle of their placement slightly off. And from the neck upward . . .

Hawk stepped forward, bending over the red, fleshy mass. "An explosive tag. He was made to swallow it before the assailant set it off."

Despite himself, Shikamaru felt a cold sweat break out on his brow. "This . . . this is . . . "

"He was angry. Very angry."

"This is . . . _treason_. This is the work of one shinobi of Konoha against another!" Disbelief had made his voice higher than usual, at least, that's how it sounded to him.

"Look carefully."

He glanced over at Hawk whose eyes had shifted from the corpse to his face, unnervingly steady and focused. "Look carefully at this room. This body. This was not like the civilian murders. Those were clinical, like a mission. You said so yourself."

Nodding slowly, he forced himself to look back at what had been Daisuke. "Right. So . . . this is _very personal_. Not like a mission at all." He paused, marshalling his thoughts. "The violence is extreme. Aggression, the will to cause immense suffering . . . "

"Hatred," completed Hawk calmly. "The killer hated this man. Otherwise his death would have been like Inoue. There was a personal element to that too, but not on this level."

"Then there's a chance . . . that Daisuke-sensei knew this man well. Hold on!" He held up a hand. "This is nothing like the other killings. How do we know this is even the same person?"

"It's highly unlikely that two different killers would attack in such a short space of time. However, considering the differences in murder and victim, we have to take that possibility into account. Whatever the case, we have to search out all connections that Daisuke had, in Konoha and outside of the village, and whether any of those lead us back to the civilians."

As if by magnetism Shikamaru's gaze was drawn back to the body. "And then there's the arrangement. He took his time about this. The violence is in direct contrast to what he did after. He's not _remorseful_, no." Thoughtfully, he moved over to the lampshade, gaining a new angle on the scene. "He's mocking us. It's as if he's saying 'Here. A present for you.'"

Hawk was staring at him again. "Yes. And this arrangement was specifically meant for us. It's a message."

"What kind of message?"

"That he's doing us a favour. That he's doing what we should have done."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Yes, there was a lot of Kakashi action (I am a self-confessed fan-girl, after all) but never fear, in the next chapter, Naruto will get his chance to shine!


	8. Missing Link

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto or any Naruto characters portrayed in this fic.

**A/N**: The long-time-coming new intallment! And it's extra-long as a form of compensation . . . The timeline of this story follows the time-skip, after Naruto develops the Rasen-shuriken technique, but after that deviates from canon. Reviews and feedback appreciated!

**PART 2: Flight**

**Chapter 8: Missing Link**

_**Day 6 since Team Kakashi's departure from Konoha**_

It was late in the day, long after their hasty stop for lunch, just when the delayed darkness of Fire Country summer afternoons began to settle over the land, that Sakura came into view. Shino was the first to become aware of her, a soft warning given to his companions. They injected a last burst of speed to their feet and the streak of pink on the road ahead rapidly coalesced to form their fellow kunoichi's shoulder-length hair. She skidded to a halt, eyes taking in Jiraiya's presence and each member of Team eight with grim satisfaction and a small element of surprise.

"I wasn't expecting to meet you until much later."

Jiraiya nodded. "Tsunade dispatched us as soon as she received your scroll." He jerked his head in Hinata's direction. "And this young lady's no slouch either."

Hinata blushed a fiery red and Sakura met her worried gaze with a small sympathetic smile. "Naruto will be just fine, wherever he is. Kakash-sensei's with him. They - " She broke off, closing her eyes briefly. "They'll look after each other. They always do." Turning back to Jiraiya she gained a measure of control over herself. "Speaking of which, those seals I transcribed from the fuuinjutsu. Any luck interpreting them?"

He outlined the basics of the technique to her rapidly as he had done with Team eight, but, when sensing his younger counterparts' eagerness to leave once again, he grew grave and pulled the copy of Sakura's transcription from his vest. "Hold on a minute, everyone. There's something else we have to discuss before this mission goes any further." He unrolled the scroll, the neatly copied figures coming into view. "I left out this bit until Sakura met with us. Hopefully, something she saw or heard on the night Naruto and Kakashi were taken will help us understand this."

They were all instantly alert, Kiba's ears visibly perking. Jiraiya indicated an area of the scroll where the writing looked particularly cramped and hedged together. "Take a look at that."

Sakura frowned slightly. "Oh, right, I remember. I don't know if everything in that section is okay, I may have made a few mistakes. The symbols were so close together . . . "

The Sannin waved off her concerns. "There was enough to tell me exactly what this portion means. Two different people were responsible for this jutsu. And their intentions were most _definitely _not the same."

_That _caught their attention. Sakura and Hinata looked gobsmacked while Kiba cocked his head in confusion. "How is that possible?" came the quiet inquiry from Shino.

"Because I have enough experience with seals to know a modification when I see one." He pointed at the area around the central seal which Sakura had obtained from the merchant Igarashi's bindings. "See how the writing is more regular and evenly spaced here? This portion of the jutsu targets Kakashi, and _Kakashi alone_. The Hatake clan has a very distinctive 'white chakra', a hereditary characteristic which many believe to give them an edge in the use of lightning-based techniques. Sakura, when healing your sensei, you would have realized the difference compared to regular chakra." She nodded in agreement. "Someone, somehow, has obtained a sample of Kakashi's chakra and harnessed this small sample to recognize and direct the jutsu at him in particular."

The questions came thick and fast.

"But how would they have gotten hold of a sample like that?"

"Why would they - "

"But Naruto-kun! The jutsu took him too - "

"Hey, hey, shut up, all of you," Jiraiya grumbled. "Firstly, no, Kakashi is not in the habit of leaving labeled chakra samples lying around. _But_, when using certain techniques, particularly summoning, trace amounts of the user's chakra are left behind. In Kakashi's case, his Sharingan functions differently from that of an Uchiha. So not only does summoning his ninken allow for small amounts of residual chakra to remain behind, but the eye ejects an uncontrolled flow of chakra, much more than is normal. Every time he performs a technique using the Sharingan, he leaves behind much larger traces than a regular shinobi. If someone knew _exactly _what they were looking for and had the great skill and means to do so, they could possibly collect enough of Kakashi's residual chakra to perform this technique." He waved a hand to stall the questions once again. "Right, so that brings us to Naruto. How did the jutsu affect him, you ask? The answer's right here." The pointing finger was back at the cramped characters Sakura had had trouble copying.

Hinata turned slightly pale. "So . . . so this is what you meant b - by _modification_?"

"Exactly. The person who created and provided the jutsu had targeted _only _Kakashi. Someone else, someone who the task was entrusted to, _altered _the jutsu to target Naruto as well. See how cramped this portion is and how it just barely fits into the symmetry of the whole jutsu? That is the clearest evidence of tampering with a seal I've seen in a long while."

"But wouldn't that mean they would need a sample of Naruto's chakra too?" Shino interjected.

Sakura gave a shaky laugh. "Have you _seen _Naruto in battle? If anyone sheds chakra by the gallon, it's that knucklehead. Shadow-clones are chakra intensive . . . and Naruto . . . " She sighed.

Kiba nodded. "Yeah. He makes whole armies of them. Point made."

Jiraiya looked between them before he abruptly snapped the scroll shut. "Right. The question is _why_. Sakura, remember carefully. Did anything on that night happen that gives you an idea of why someone would change the plan and include Naruto?"

She shook her head slowly, anguish briefly visible in her face. "Nothing. The jutsu was already set up when we arrived. The rogue nin who took Igarashi were no better than paid thugs. They didn't know a thing about who had employed them, they just followed instructions."

Jiraiya sighed. "I was afraid of that. Whoever these people are, they've gone to great lengths to conceal their identities." He paused for a time, causing the four young ninja to tense. "It also means that we are looking at a case of great treachery within Konoha."

Sakura shuddered, teeth clenched tight in impotent rage and fear. Jiraiya's voice was heavy as he held her gaze, knowing that she had been fully aware of this from the outset, unwilling to lend credence to those thoughts by voicing them out loud. "This is a classified technique, developed originally by the Fourth Hokage. It's conception and creation was entirely original and never used outside Fire Country before. Needless to say, such a powerful technique has a secure place within our records, guarded by more than ANBU. Either we have been infiltrated by someone so skilled they left no traces behind, a near impossible task even for a Sannin, or we have a security breach within our ranks."

"But - But that's . . . "

"Tsunade-sama knows everything I know. Rest assured, she will find the right assistance to look into the matter. But while we wait for any communication, the most we can hope for is some clue on our way to Earth Country." Straightening, he re-shouldered his pack. "Grab a bite to eat, kids, and nap for a few hours. Shino, you're first watch."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Day 6 since Team Kakashi's departure from Konoha<strong>_

The archives of Konoha's Hokage Tower were well-lit, but deathly silent at this time of night. Shikamaru's footsteps echoed on the tiled floor, their pale blue colour reflecting the lights above with harsh sterility, reminiscent of a hospital. He had determined to speak to Daisuke-sensei's colleagues at the ninja academy the following day. It was close to midnight and he knew that none of them would take kindly to being rounded up out of bed and questioned at the police-force headquarters.

He'd already pegged Iruka-sensei as a good place to start his enquiries. The man radiated goodwill and empathy, along with an uncanny perceptiveness that allowed him to see below the surface of any situation. A case in point being the way he had henpecked Shikamaru at the academy almost as badly as the boy's own mother. And he knew that Iruka-sensei's exasperation hadn't simply been because he was annoyed at the lack of interest or attention paid to his lectures. He'd guaged Shikamaru's true potential better than anyone else. And then there was his role in Naruto's life, providing an anchor of trust and stability for a wild-card prankster who the sensei could have easily resented with every fibre of his being.

Shaking his head in fond recollection, Shikamaru entered the main foyer, raising a hand in lazy salute to the elderly Head Archivist, Yuudai, at the central desk. Now grey-haired and stooped, the man had already been pushing the regular age for shinobi service during the last war. Rumour had it that he had been present at the sealing of the Kyuubi, one of the Hokage's closely trusted advisors. Not that he would talk about it. The man seemed quite content to spend his days ensconced in the history of the village he had given his youth to protect, sifting through aged parchments and scrolls with a reverence matched by few. The eyes that met Shikamaru's were still bright and lucid, the craggy brows drawing together as if rapidly constructing a jigsaw of the Chuunin's ancestry. Sighing, Shikamaru approached.

"Goodafternoon, Yuudai-sama."

"Nara-san, am I right?"

"Uh . . . yeah. That obvious?"

A hoarse chuckle and Yuudai had already turned away from him, returning to his occupation of shuffling papers and stowing them methodically into a brown satchel. "Of course. Your father, the master strategist. Akimichi, the mobile fortress. Yamanaka, the mind snatcher. Who could forget a team like that?"

"Huh. Now that you mention it . . . "

The last of the documents placed, the elder faced him, fingers lacing on the desktop. "Now, how can I help you? Or rather, what is it I can help you search out?"

Shikamaru scratched at the base of his ponytail, feeling distinctly uncomfortable. "Well, I'm investigating a case at the moment. The civilian murders, you know?"

"Aaah, yes. Quite the stir they've caused."

"Yeah. Anyway, I've followed every possible lead, searched out possible connections. Everything investigation protocol dictates. And -"

"I see. It led you here." The old man's expression was shrewd and half-amused. He waved aside Shikamaru's apology. "Nara-san, the number of shinobi I get down here looking for additional intel on missions as low as C-rank is higher than I care to elaborate on. Those are the real time-wasters and over-enthusiastic paper-pushers. Now here I have something worth offering my knowledge on." The chair whispered across the tiles as he pushed it away and stood, "I suggest you start with the newspaper archives. My assistants have a new reel-format viewing system. It allows for the articles to be viewed on a large projection screen. They will help you sort the articles relevant to date and subject matter. I suggest you narrow down your search considerably." He paused, giving the Chuunin a heavy look. "There's rather a lot to look at, if you catch my drift."

Shikamaru nodded, shifting his shoulders slightly as if to ease the foreshadowing of tension residing there. "Thank you, Yuudai-sama. I owe you one."

He received a grunt and the wave of a gnarled hand in return. "If you turn up something interesting, keep me informed. I'm not as infirm as I look and there's quite a lot that may jolt my memory."

Grinning sheepishly, the youngster nodded and headed to the viewing booths on the other end of the room. With luck, this sleepless night might turn up a connection of value. Reaching into his chuunin vest, he pulled out the faded newsprint that had led him here, to the archives. One of the officers at the front desk at the Konoha Police Force had handed it over to him when he reported in to Commander Sato. It was from Inoue Kenzo's wife, a folder containing small newspaper clippings and other memorabilia of Inoue's successful business career. With these had been a note, addressed to him. His visit and interview with her had apparently created a highly favourable impression and she had determined to do her best to assist him in his investigation by providing him with all relevant information on her late husband and his trade relations through his company. It was a vast change from the apathetic, listless woman he had first encountered.

The clipping itself was a minor thing, just a photograph of a group of men in suits standing outside what looked like a newly constructed building. Inoue appeared at the forefront, his unassuming, unmemorable features belying the strength and confidence with which he held himself. This was a man who knew his place in the industry, a man fully at ease with his abilities.

_And he was shaking hands with Masao Tanaka, one of the other victims. _

From the cuttings and trade reports, Shikamaru had made out that Inoue had been instrumental in the expansion and marketing of the business, but had confined himself to internal auditing and handling the finances of the company. Someone who wielded power within the company, but chose not to flaunt it.

_He was just . . . he was quiet. He kept to himself. Kenzo didn't cause any trouble._

Frowning, Shikamaru consulted the caption beneath the photograph, allowing the keywords to spring out at him. _Opening of the new textile factory . . . increase production by 50 percent . . . designed by Masao Tanaka . . . carpenter and contractor . . . known for his contribution towards the design of Konoha Shinobi Academy . . . childhood friend of Inoue Kenzo, financial advisor and auditor . . . _

It was this tenuous connection, so slim and barely plausible, that had led Shikamaru to his current research. He'd questioned Inoue's wife again, turning up no further clues. Inoue didn't speak much about his life outside the company. She was aware that he had left Konoha as a young man and trained for his particular trade in Tea Country for a few years. But she had remained vague about his life in Konoha before that. She knew nothing about his connection with Masao, seeming genuinely surprised when Shikamaru had brought it up. The onus was on him to search out the root of this link and just how deep it went.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Day 6 since Team Kakashi's departure from Konoha<strong>_

The force of the explosion took him by surprise. He had not calculated for such destructive force, having only made use of regular exploding tags on previous missions. Blue eyes opened wide, mouth contorted in a comical grimace, cheeks flapping as they were buffeted by the hot blast of air, Naruto drew his limbs inwards in a protective ball as the force of the explosion accelerated his leap to safety. He landed in a sprawling scramble, one arm raised against the bright flare and the steaming heat clouds billowing from the bunker entrance. One hand found its way to the pouch at his hip, kunai twirling between his fingers before landing in a solid grip. Waving an arm before his face to clear some of the stifling, smoky atmosphere, he stiffened at the sight which met his eyes. The set-up of the charges that Kakashi had indicated to him had been so precise that a perfectly spherical bore, slightly ragged and steaming at the edges, had been blown right through the reinforced door.

_Awesome! _Was the first thought that ran through his mind, closely followed by _Damn! These guys . . . _

One of the two shinobi posted within the bunker lay sprawled not far from the entrance, reddened, blistered skin showing above his collar and on his bare wrists and hands. He had most probably been closest to the door and was flung forward and outwards by the explosion or attempted a leap for safety once he had realized the situation. Behind him, within the hazy entrance, Naruto could see a hardened mud wall, the surface bubbling and hissing from the heat. As he watched, the wall began to dissolve, parting down the middle with an audible crack as a dirty, disoriented figure stumbled forth. The Iwa nin took one look at the yellow-haired shinobi before scrambling backwards into the bunker, a low hiss of surprise and fear escaping between his teeth. With a bound over the recumbent figure of the burnt man, Naruto plunged into the gaping hole in close pursuit, forming hand seals as he ran.

"Kage bunshin no jutsu!"

A clone appeared ahead of him, directly behind the fleeing form of the Iwa nin. Both arms clasped the man around the waist, bringing him to the ground with a muffled 'oomph' of surprise. Quick and flexible as a ferret, he slithered out of the bunshin's grasp, a brief flash of steel and puff of smoke as the clone was dispelled. Naruto gritted his teeth, adrenaline racing through his veins as he ploughed straight into the cloud the clone had left behind. _Turning my bunshin against me by blinding me with the smoke . . . gotta watch this one. He's got real battle experience. _

Closely following this thought, Naruto yelped as his foot came down on something sharp. Back-pedaling wildly, he created a clone directly above his keeling body, wincing from the jarring sensation of his arm being grasped at the elbow and jerked hard. Landing in a crouch, he glanced at the passage before him, frowning in consternation. The clone landed heavily beside him, scratching absent-mindedly at its hair. The ground ahead was littered with knee-high, razor-sharp shards of what looked like polished quartz.

"We could - "

"Yeah! Let's do it!"

Mumbling something inaudible and distinctly disgruntled, the clone nodded reluctantly, bending at the knees and clasping both hands. Eyes shining with alarming enthusiasm, Naruto backed up, taking the short space between himself and the bunshin at a sprint. Fingers crossed at right angles before his chest, he leapt onto the makeshift cradle of the clone's hands, catapulted into the air a moment later by the sharp chakra burst.

"Uzumaki bushin cannon!"

The familiar sound of shadow clones being materialized echoed all along the passage, each clone delivering a forward, upward boost to the flailing, yelling teenager right before the spikes below caused them to dispel. Naruto collided with the final bunshin, his fall considerably softened, before scrambling to his feet, immediately breaking into a run. Up ahead, the man he was chasing down looked back in disbelief, horror etched on his face as he took in the wild, wind-blown hair, manic grin and blazing eyes of the young shinobi hot on his tail.

_Ooooh, wait til' Sakura-chan sees that one!_

The Iwa nin sped up, spinning on his heel to confront Naruto, as the excavated corridor opened into a high-ceilinged room filled with shelves and cabinets. His hands began to flash through a series of seals that looked too complicated for the likes of the young Konoha shinobi. Naruto whipped out a handful of shuriken, flinging them towards his opponent to disrupt the flow of his jutsu, then dropped low and released a second barrage, the same way he had seen Kakashi attack on numerous occasions. He rolled away right after to the cover of one of the shelves. Swearing, the Iwa nin was forced to assume a defensive position, knocking away the first volley of shuriken and barely dodging the second. Crouching behind the shelf, Naruto slipped a kunai between his teeth and formed a hand seal. He darted out to the left, a swift rustle and the whistle of kunai indicating the Iwa nin's position further within the room. The young shinobi's brow furrowed in an irritated frown as he returned the throw with the blade between his teeth.

_Why the fuck isn't he going for the document? Kakash-sensei said that'd be the first thing they'd try to destroy once I get in and . . . Oh. OOOOH. _

Almost slapping himself on the forehead, Naruto did a quick scan of his surroundings. If the Iwa nin was so fixated on taking him out instead of destroying the document as quickly as possible, the most viable reason had to be that the document was on _his _side of the room and his position effectively stopped the man from reaching it.

_But what to look for? _Unfortunately, his sensei's directions hadn't been that precise. The shelves and steel cabinets were all uniform in size and appearance, the markings on their small circular labels obviously a code known only to a select few. He certainly wouldn't delude himself into thinking that he could possibly decipher them while battling an enemy. Brow still furrowed in thought, Naruto steeled himself. _There's nobody to rely on to think for me now. Think, think! How to find it? _A sudden idea came to him and he straightened, a wide, ominously mischievous grin spreading across his face. _I don't have to find it . . . if he leads me right to it._

Slowly, hands came up, forming a seal, blue eyes hard with concentration. _Good thing Ero-senin taught me more than _one _jutsu . . ._

"Kage bunshin!" The clone appeared beside him, immediately reacting to the sight of his outstretched hand. "Rasengan!" Within a few seconds, a flickering, swirling orb of energy spun into existence on his open palm. Dashing out of the cover of the shelves, he charged towards the Iwa nin, yelling out a challenge. The man held his position, hands locked at chest level in a dog seal.

"Douton: Poison Mist Snare!"

The time the Iwa nin had been given had apparently been sufficient for completion of the jutsu he had attempted earlier. The ground all around Naruto's feet began to liquidize, bubbling up in thick, malodorous viscosity around his ankles. He stumbled, almost pitching forward onto his face when the mud held him in place. Across from him, the Iwa nin bolted easily across the miniature mire he had created, chakra laden feet allowing him to skid smoothly along the surface. Naruto lunged at him wildly as he shot past, howling in rage and sending three kunai whistling towards him. The man skillfully dodged all the missiles, his natural flexibility and evasive tactics, as well as the jutsu, clearly marking him as no close range fighter, but a classic ambush specialist.

The roiling mud was sending up gas bubbles, a hazy green-tinted mist tainting the air where they burst and released their foul contents into the atmosphere. Naruto felt his vision begin to blur, his muscles slackening with each passing second. _Dammit! Focus! _Reaching into his pack, fingers fumbling clumsily, Naruto watched as the Iwa nin reached a cabinet on the far end, tugging open the third drawer and tapping the underside hurriedly in a strange pattern until a false bottom dropped from beneath. With a soft grunt of triumph, Naruto's scrabbling hand found the small case, custom made and packed by Sakura. _One pill, second compartment, all purpose antidote. _A small red pill was withdrawn, popped into his waiting mouth and crunched hard. Within moments, his vision began to clear, and, as the Iwa-nin shook the scroll within the false bottom into his palm, Naruto shakily raised his hand, biting into the finger. "Kuchiyose no jutsu! Sumo toad style!"

A much heavier blast of smoke issued through the dark room, the Iwa nin's face taking on an expression of horrified disbelief before he was promptly flattened beneath the sizeable posterior of Gamakichi. A sickening crunch followed, reminiscent of ribs shattering to a pulp. The scroll clenched in the unfortunate man's hand promptly dropped to the floor with a soft squelch. Panting, Naruto grinned triumphantly. The large, vibrantly orange head of his favoured summon slowly swiveled in his direction, an utterly withering expression in the protuberant eyes.

"_Sumo Toad style_? WHAT THE HELL KIND OF TECHNIQUE IS THAT?"

* * *

><p>It was well into the early hours of the morning, the relentless whir and click of the projection machine allowing time to run unhindered and monotonous, when he found the first concrete connection of the current investigation. A soft exhalation was the only indication of his discovery. Then he sat back, slowly and deliberately cracking his stiff shoulders to release the tension. He looked up at the clock on the wall, noting the time. Twenty to five. His gaze settled back on the article displayed garishly on the wall before him. He ran through the research stages he had built within his mind to get to this point.<p>

First, he had restricted the search to civilian newspapers. Of these, one was a gardening journal, another a children's supplement and another a women's weekly which, disturbingly, had a shinobi centrefold that seemed to feature eligible male ninjas caught unawares in everyday occupations like grocery shopping, eating and, in Yamato's case, drunk singing at the karaoke bar. Hastily discarding these film reels, he had settled on the weekly headlines that gave a comprehensive overview on serious internal issues, events, trade, politics and news of neighbouring countries.

Under his father's influence, Shikamaru had been religiously following such publications and newspapers since he had been at the academy. His level of mental organisation and perfect recall allowed him to skim through these headlines in passing, his memory filling in any blanks. There was certainly nothing here. After this cursory search, he went back twelve years, to the period before Inoue had left for Tea Country. The newspaper he was consulting had been much less detailed back then and more focused on major news headlines, making his search marginally easier. Smaller stories and advertisements were almost non-existent, and the quality of the paper itself was very inferior, something Shikamaru could easily tell from the transparency and the way the ink had blurred and run on many pages. This was understandable, considering how many of the smaller businesses were still struggling to re-establish themselves in the wake of the Kyuubi attack.

And here, he had struck gold. The printed article headline was dated for the 31st of October, their names jumping out of the page to his sensitized eyes.

_Ryo Nakamura_. _Masao Tanaka_.

According to the text, they had been drunk at the time, one of them, a girl, had been underage and thus her name could not be printed. Shikamaru had a strong hunch as to her identity. _Matsuo Fumiko, mother of two._ It had been festival night, emotions running high, celebrations spinning out of control and the matter had been hushed up, brushed aside, swept under the proverbial carpet. Parents and relatives of the accused had all been adamant that someone had influenced the three, put them up to their destructive course of action. But, upon questioning, all three, boys and girl, had insistently denied any outside influence, stating that they had acted purely on their own desires. What those desires were, the article did not elaborate on.

Eyes narrowing, gaze sharp as a hawk's despite the long, sleepless night, the young Nara picked up his pen, pulled the blank pad of paper beside him closer and copied down the address of the apartment block that Ryo Nakamura, Masao Tanaka and Matsuo Fumiko had set fire to eleven years ago.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Yes, it's coming together, slowly but surely. As for the fight scene . . . Naruto IS the number one ninja at surprising people, right? :)


	9. Enemy Lines

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto or any Naruto characters portrayed in this fic.

**A/N**: Yes, hehe, it's been a while. And with no further excuses . . . The timeline of this story follows the time-skip, after Naruto develops the Rasen-shuriken technique, but after that deviates from canon. Reviews and feedback appreciated!

**PART 2: Flight**

**Chapter 9: Enemy Lines**

_**Day 7 since Team Kakashi's departure from Konoha**_

_Arson. _That word, in smudged, chipped, runny newsprint. All the recklessness, the greedy destruction of leaping flames, all the connotations of that single noun seemed to circulate with dizzying effect through his barely organised thoughts. After he had left the archives in the early hours of the morning, he had headed straight for home, the paper pad carrying that valuable nugget of knowledge wedged firmly within his weapons pouch between his wire and kunai. It was as if all the weight, worry and tension had somehow transferred itself from somewhere deep within his chest into that piece of paper, a silent, unacknowledged siphoning, from elusive to sudden concrete. At times, his hand strayed to it, patting it softly as if to confirm its presence. He hadn't realised how much this break in the case had meant to him until now, with the cool sting of the misty, vague Konoha morning fresh on his tired limbs.

At the Nara compound, he'd managed to drag himself into bed, only bothering to remove his sandals. The weapons pouch stayed near his pillow. A few hours later, roused by the familiar sounds of his mother clattering pots in the kitchen and his father's steady tramp to and fro along the passage outside as he came in for breakfast then went back to the study to fetch his newspaper, Shikamaru blinked blearily up at the ceiling of his room, now bathed in mid-morning light. Immediately, his hand shot out to the weapons pouch, scrambling around within until his fingers closed around the smooth writing pad. Withdrawing it, he let the dark, heavily underlined letters leap out at him, the names, the address, the details of the arson. And then the glaringly obvious struck him, something he had not even registered the night before, so caught up had he been in how the dots had finally connected.

_The resident. _No mention had been made in the newspaper article, or in any of the subsequent, small follow-up columns, about the identity of the person, or persons, whose home had been vandalized so brutally. Frowning, he sat up, absently reaching for his hair-tie as he stared down at the page before him. _Maybe an unoccupied apartment? _It was possible, but highly unlikely. In the wake of the Kyuubi attack, residences within Konoha were a valuable commodity, hard to come by, in much demand and small and shabby in the case of most shinobi. A whole apartment was almost guaranteed to have at least one occupant. Why this silence from the newspaper on that front, then? Determining not to waste any more time on idle speculation, he pushed aside the covers, showered hastily and donned a fresh uniform before heading to the kitchen. As if anticipating his movements, his mother had a lunch box laid out for him on the counter, chopsticks nearby wrapped in plastic on a paper napkin. He grinned and thanked her.

"I never heard you come in last night," she scolded, "You could at least let me know when you'll be late in future." The bossiness in her voice was tempered by the way she ruffled his hair fondly on the way out.

Once he reached the road branching past the forest housing the compound, he made his way towards central town, snatching bites of warm rice as he consulted a street map he had managed to sneak from the study. Despite Konoha's streets being second nature to most shinobi, they knew their way by landmarks and rooftops rather than physical addresses. According to his street map, the residence he was looking for was a few blocks away from Ichiraku Ramen, down a short side street. More than simple to find, he had passed this way every day on his way to the academy. He reached the ramen stand ten minutes later after a quick rooftop detour and dropped down to ground level, deciding to navigate the old-fashioned way from here on. Waving a greeting to Teuchi who waved a steaming ladle in return, he almost automatically searched for a flash of orange and yellow and the loud, brash voice that usually accompanied such a colour combination, only to find it conspicuously absent. Shrugging, he turned down the side street his map indicated.

The buildings rose, tall, suddenly imposing on either side of him, their long shadows cooling the air in the small walk space. A few paces in he paused, frowning and looking down. He had noticed a change in the sound of his footsteps, confirmed when he observed the smaller, rougher cobbling underfoot, different from the smooth, well-worn ground synonymous with Konoha's main thoroughfares. Still frowning slightly, he proceeded, noting the overhanging awnings from the back-doors of adjacent shops and houses, all faded but fairly neat. There were a few unmarked doors, postboxes either absent or rusting badly enough to warrant no further use. He had to count these doors to find the correct number of the address he wanted, finally pausing before a narrow wooden door with a single iron strut remaining from an awning that had once been present. He couldn't determine the precise colour, the door being much cracked and peeling, blackened by old soot, probably an after-effect of the fire. He felt a strange hesitancy, then.

Reaching out, he pushed on the door. Unsurprisingly, it did not give. He raised a hand to knock, then lowered it, a sensation of unbalance, of deep memory, of déjà-vu, assailing him with surprising strength. It had started at the entrance of the street. The furrow in his brow deepened and his hand almost automatically crept to his weapons pouch, so great was this feeling of discomfort. Snapping back to the present, he gave himself a swift mental shake, raising his hand to knock once again. The door opened just as his knuckles connected with it and a young, adolescent face, insolent squint intact, looked out at him.

"You need something?" Almost immediately, the boy noticed his attire and the posturing faded away, replaced with a look of excitement. "You're a chuunin! Cool! Are you from the academy? I'm going there next month, got my application accepted and everything. Are you a teacher? Do I have to call you sensei?"

Shikamaru did not reply. The bottom had just dropped out of his stomach with an unsteady, jolting lurch. As the boy chattered on, oblivious, he turned slightly to mask the effect that the sudden apparition in the doorway had had on him.

_I know this place. I've been here before. _

He raised a hand to stem the flow of information. "Uh, yeah, sorry. Got the wrong house."

The boy looked disappointed. "Huh? You sure? Kaa-chan saw you hanging about and that's why she sent me down."

Already backing away, Shikamaru gave a half-grimace, half-smile. "I'm pretty sure. You go on up. Good luck at the academy." Saluting absentmindedly over his shoulder, he made his way slowly and methodically back up the small street, sharp eyes drinking in every detail. _The cobblestones. The awnings. The brass bell over that door. Chouji was with me. He was eating shrimp-flavoured crisps. He had another packet in his back-pack. He wanted to share . . . _Turning, Shikamaru looked back at the cracked, peeling paint on that rickety door. _It was a green door. Mint green. The awning was yellow. Faded, not bright like his hair. _

And Shikamaru remembered. Remembered how it had been the year before they were sent to the academy. How they had been playing and then_ he'd _come along and asked to join. How the others had said no, and Shikamaru had been too lazy and Chouji too timid, to interfere. How the gratingly loud voice had proclaimed that he didn't need to play their stupid game anyway. Remembered a deep, deep sadness, a desperate longing, quickly, deftly, stowed away behind blazing blue determination. Afterwards, he had looked at Chouji and Chouji had looked at him. Chouji said he had some extra snacks in his bag. Shikamaru, knowing that his kind-hearted friend saw food as the best way of offering comfort, had sighed and simply drifted off after the sunburst yellow head of hair. It had led them, Chouji shuffling along beside him, down _this _street. Along these uneven cobbles, past these awnings, past that brass bell, right up to the green door. He had knocked. The door had opened with alarming speed, showing a scowling young face with belligerently protruding lower lip. And, like today, that expression had morphed at the sight of him into unexpected surprise, then delight.

Shikamaru and Chouji had been invited into the apartment of Uzumaki Naruto and had shared a bag of shrimp-flavoured crisps with him. The year before the fire, the apartment behind the mint green door had belonged to him.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Day 7 since Team Kakashi's departure from Konoha<strong>_

The grinding of the Hokage's teeth was almost audible as she stared the Earth Ambassador down across her desk once more.

"What do you mean by 'the situation is being treated as it is seen'?"

Composed, but grave, he answered her evenly. "That until adequate proof is presented that they were framed as such, Uzumaki and Hatake will be treated as a fifth degree infiltration, pursued and detained by our ANBU squads. Uzumaki will be restrained using the necessary measures, considering the fact that he is a Jinchuuriki. I cannot vouch for the detainment of Hatake, however. If he offers excessive resistance, I doubt his life will be given first priority over our own men."

Proverbially biting her tongue, Tsunade considered her options carefully. "We have already provided you with the fuuinjutsu taken from the scene of their abduction. Haruno Sakura, their team mate, is fully willing to provide testimony to your council. What further proof do you require?"

"Hokage-sama, respectfully speaking, both you and I know that such forms of evidence can be easily fabricated." He raised his hands placatingly as her mouth shot open in fury. "I am merely stating the arguments that the council may bring up should you present them with this case. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the transcription of the fuuinjutsu was carried out by the _same _member of the team, Haruno Sakura, was it not? So, we come to the first issue. Both pieces of evidence, fuuinjutsu and testimony, come from the same source. If there were two independent sources, a testimony from one shinobi and a fuuinjutsu transcription from another, and each were completely separate from the other, that would be a more reliable gathering of evidence. Secondly, the fuuinjutsu is a transcription. No representative of earth country was present during collection of evidence, thus rendering it invalid. Third, the testimony would be provided by a loyal Konoha shinobi. She would not be acting as a neutral source. Such are the problems you would be faced with should you go ahead with this plan."

Tsunade heaved a massive sigh. "As much as I deplore the technicalities, you do have a point. So tell me, since the council has stated their terms, what kind of evidence would they accept in order to clear my shinobi of all charges?"

"This could come in more than a few forms, Hokage-sama. All is not lost, although the gathering of this evidence might require considerable effort on your part."

"Time and effort is not an issue. For my most loyal and courageous shinobi, I will spare every resource and all the manpower I'm able to."

Suzuki gave her a long look, his gaze sharp and calculating. He nodded slowly. "I respect the dedication and loyalty shown to your own shinobi. It is a rare thing, I think. And no doubt, they display great loyalty to yourself, and this village. To protect that bond, you will need resolve and great willpower. And also, the ability to make a sacrifice if completely necessary. No, I don't presume to tell you how to perform your function of Hokage for this village, but I would like to remind you of the possibility that Uzumaki and Hatake might not return to this village."

The honey-brown eyes that met his across the desk had never faltered once, even as he said this. Instead, they grew brighter, fiercer and, if he didn't know better, almost maternal in their strength and pride. "I have faith in my shinobi, Suzuki-dono. I believe they will return to Konoha, cleared of all charges and suspicion."

Shizune came in immediately after the ambassador had left. Looking up sharply, the older woman nodded. "Report."

"Yes, Tsunade-sama. The ANBU at the archives reported no irregularities or disturbances in the scroll vault section. A routine cataloguing and cleaning had been performed three weeks prior, under strict supervision and direction of the archive personnel. Outside of that, no contact has been made with the scrolls within the vault."

Crossing her fingers beneath her chin, Tsunade frowned. "If that's the case, there must have been another source of information. There are copies of the scroll, one with Jiraiya, the other with intelligence services. Head out to Inoichi-san and repeat your queries."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Day 7 since Team Kakashi's departure from Konoha<strong>_

There was a period, during his sojourn in ANBU, when Kakashi had realised that he measured time in heartbeats. Time, for him and his fellow ANBU, meant many things. Every action, every breath, every thought and perception was momentary, a result of the quick relay of electrical impulse along well-traveled synapses. It was economical and efficient, maximum damage with minimal energy expended. And yet, those experiences were never fleeting. In comparison with the times he spent with those few people he dared to consider friends and loved ones, his mission experiences were always the clearest in his mind, sharp edged and brittle, cutting painfully into his psyche when he wasn't careful. When he was alone, when night came and, ignoring the voice that cried out his treachery and guilt, he allowed himself to sink, to drown, to _feel_, he would run through the list in his mind to bring him back from the edge.

Raikiri. His flesh inside the others', fingers closing over that small, pulsing, _fighting _muscle, grit from shattered bone, the stretchy layers of muscle that wrapped around his fingers then split away from the crackling electricity in his fist. A sudden lurch, a flurry of struggling heartbeats, disappearing with a last single thump. His quickest kill. Move on. Slit throat, a gradual fading out, count ten heartbeats to finish. Move on. Broken neck, faster fading out, count two heartbeats to cessation. Move on. Body slash, slow death, count fifty seven heartbeats to death in case of civilian or use another quick kill technique in case of shinobi. Move on. Body puncture, thirty two beats to death if at fatal point, repeat if at non-fatal point. Move on. And so it would go, again and again, until he remembered to count his own heartbeats, slow his breathing, think of Naruto's determined eyes and loud voice, Sakura's kind smile and ready strength, Obito's young voice, saying those words which changed his life, his actions and thoughts forever after, and he would count. Twenty heartbeats back to normality.

It had happened less frequently after he had taken on students. And now he found himself counting for a different reason. The pace of his heart was far beyond normal, even after strenuous exertion. His chakra was low again, slowly edging towards a dangerous level after that battle. Without the temporary respite he had had before entering the outpost, he would have been out for the count and totally reliant on Naruto by now. Kakashi, however badly berated by Sakura and Tsunade for pushing himself too far, was fully aware of the limits of his own body, just a lot more regardless of them in favour of the safety of his companions. His internal warning system had registered the shinobi on his tail as a threat, both during their battle and after. The man was a war veteran, combining field intelligence with experience, demonstrated by the way he had fought. However, he was also the most dangerous type of veteran; the one that falls prey to vengeance. He had been so caught up in making Kakashi answer for his taunts and actions that he had failed to ensure the safety of his two subordinates. Granted, without any self-praise intended, Kakashi knew that he made a formidable opponent, but the Iwa-nin had transparently fallen into the trap of forfeiting the welfare of his comrades to earn the satisfaction of capturing a notorious enemy.

This train of thought was brought to an end by the faint 'crunch' of sandal on tree branch. The Iwa-nin was gaining on him, and at a rapid pace. Deciding on an appropriate point of confrontation, Kakashi dropped down to ground level, positioning his back to the tree. A few moments later, a light tap on one of the branches above him gave away the opponent's position.

"Not so cocky now, eh?"

He shot a glare in the older man's direction, remaining silent, allowing the kunai in his hand to indicate his intent. There was a heavy pause as each sized up the other. Then the Iwa-nin moved, unexpectedly, but not surprisingly, showing a double element affinity.

"Suiton: Dark missile!"

The ground beneath Kakashi's feet and all around the tree began to crack and groan in protest. Eyes wide, Kakashi sprang out of the path of the collapsing tree, one foot catching on the trunk to propel himself further away. Bringing his arm up, there was a resounding clash as his kunai struck the weapon of the Iwa-nin. As he sprang away, rebounding off another tree that tilted alarmingly, he caught sight of the short tanto in the other's grasp. His eyes narrowed as the Iwa-nin shot him a malicious grin. It was a poorly-made, rather chipped blade, almost an exact replica of the White Fang's tanto, the blade which had become legendary during his father's rise to exaltation in the shinobi world. The message was clear. _Chip off the old block, are you? Yet another failure . . . _ The old man had obviously anticipated this confrontation if he had gone through all the trouble of obtaining such a blade once he had been informed that Kakashi and his student would make an appearance in Earth Country.

The momentary loss of concentration was dearly bought. Kakashi had only registered the look of satisfaction in the Iwa-nin's face when a lancing pain shot through his left side and a similar sensation erupted along his forearm. Swearing, he twisted, making use of every ounce of agility and flexibility he possessed to dodge the rocketing pellets of water that were bursting through the crumbled earth beneath them.

_Dark missile . . . he's using groundwater to create this jutsu! _

There was no room to land; the water missiles were coming from every direction, and worse, he had lost sight of the enemy. Shaking damp hair out of his eyes, Kakashi wavered slightly, his awkward landing causing the bark of the tree he had collided with to splinter under the force of unbalanced chakra. Behind him, the Iwa-nin materialised, using a branch as leverage as he swung silently towards the tense form of the grey-haired shinobi. Another blade, longer and far superior to the bogus tanto, shot out, spearing directly towards the red-swirled centre of the green flak-jacket.

There was a muffled thump and a soft curse. The grizzled veteran found himself staring directly into the rotating tomae of the legendary sharingan, black swimming against hypnotizing blood red. His limbs would not obey him, frozen in position. Even the direction of his gaze had fixed under this awful paralytic, his eyes clearly showing him where the point of his blade was buried and held firmly in a gloved grasp. His grip loosened, the sensation of falling encompassing him. All around him, around the man with the mismatched gaze above, water was raining down in a freezing downpour, the remnants from his aborted jutsu soaking through clothes. And yet . . . as the ground loomed closer, feeling began to return to his limbs in a tingling rush. Managing a desperate jerk, he realigned himself so he was able to bend his legs a little. He rolled once he hit the ground, stumbling upright, barely able to stand, with the paralysing jutsu weakening every second. Looking up, the blood left his face when he realised he could no longer see his opponent. Slipping on the ground churned and made muddy by his jutsu, he whipped out a kunai, swaying in place.

When the hand wrapped around his ankle, there was nothing he could do to stop his descent. With a sickening lurch in the stomach region, he found himself buried up to the chin in closely clinging mud. The ground before him exploded into grey, green and blue, a pair of legs landing in a crouch before straightening up. He waited, teeth clenched in fury, but was greeted by silence.

"Well?" he snapped, angling his head to see the other's face. Beneath the torn mask, Sharingan Kakashi's face was impassive. Not the lackadaisical, almost lazy demeanour he had seen from the man at first, in the outpost. Every inch of the lean form was alert, wary, barely reigning in a strength and killing intent that he could sense, _that he was being allowed to sense_, rippling beneath the calm surface. The sharp features were set in a harder cast, the gaze slightly melancholy, distant, detached, deadly serene. This was all pure ANBU. He spat mud at the Konoha nin's feet.

"So . . . what are you waiting for?"

He was already running threads of chakra through the ground, and he knew the jounin could sense his attempt to break the stifling hold of the earth. Kakashi spoke, his deep voice calm, almost as if offering a form of reassurance.

"I cannot let you chase me, or lend aid to the ANBU that come after. Understand that."

The constriction on his lungs was almost unbearable and he let out a hoarse, harsh chuckle. "Don't patronise me, you fucking little shit." He met the grey and red gaze, letting the other feel his own killing intent. "If I get free, I will hunt you down. And before you die, you will see your precious student suffer all the pain I can inflict on him."

Kakashi closed his eyes momentarily, face still immobile beneath the mask. "I see."

In a moment, he had dropped into a crouch, leg striking out in a fluid arc. A loud crack echoed through the forest and Kakashi stood swiftly within the same movement, glancing down at the Iwa-nin whose neck was now bent at an impossible angle. To let him survive would be to risk danger to Naruto if the ANBU squad arrived soon. The last threat of the old shinobi ran through his mind once again. He knew, that in spite of having precious students of his own, the Iwa-nin would not hesitate to kill both him and Naruto, and, if it so happened, their deaths would be honoured in the old man's mind as one of true sensei and student. It was the sacrifice all dedicated shinobi make, that of their emotions. Kakashi had no difficulty in recognising a stalwart shinobi with bravery and pride, and he'd given him a death befitting of one.

Crouching again, ignoring his wounds for the moment, his heightened hearing allowed him to distinguish the slowing, muffled thumps in the other's chest dragging out into a death whisper. He waited for the final pause, counting, as he always had.

_One. _

_Two._

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **I hope I've portrayed Kakashi well here and given a little insight into his psyche, he really is my favourite character of the series. Also, the necessity of the Iwa-nin's death, as unfortunate as it is. Unlike Naruto, Kakashi is an experienced and hardened shinobi who has been through war and been a part of ANBU for many years, something we should not forget. Close to his limit and knowing Naruto's life might be at risk, I believe this is the decision he would make. Let's not sugar-coat the reality of shinobi-hood!


	10. Ties that Bind

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto or any Naruto characters portrayed in this fic.

**A/N**: Oh my, such a hiatus. Studies caught up to me in more ways than one. Here, my faithful readers, is the next chapter, never fear. Thanks for sticking with me for so long! The timeline of this story follows the time-skip, after Naruto develops the Rasen-shuriken technique, but after that deviates from canon. Reviews and feedback appreciated!

**PART 2: Flight**

**Chapter 10: Ties that Bind**

_**Day 7 since Team Kakashi's departure from Konoha**_

His path to the academy was a distracted one. Thoughts in turmoil, he had stuffed his hands deep into his pockets to still the strange tremor that ran through them at intervals. Shikamaru was always one to carefully, almost dispassionately, analyze a situation and determine all possible outcomes. Instinct, impetuosity, those were allowances he left to others. This, however, this was altogether too close to home. His mind worked, furiously, one permutation upon another, crowding in upon each other in stifling haste. Pausing, he gritted his teeth, looking up at the building he had let his feet carry him to. The Academy looked as always, the dusty training ground, the heavily notched kunai-practice posts, the lone swing on the large tree at the front creaking slightly as it swayed in the light breeze. Tearing his eyes away from that last mark of familiarity where he had often seen a lone, drooping head of yellow hair, he strode purposefully in through the double doors and approached the classroom he had spent many hours dozing off in just a few years ago.

Iruka was in full swing as he stopped just outside the door. The sensei's fists were propped on his hips and he was glaring in that peculiar manner which was somehow simultaneously masculine and mother-hen reminiscent. The object of his ire squirmed uncomfortably in front of him, a short boy with reddish bangs that fell into his eyes.

" . . . thought it would be FUN to throw a kunai disguised as a paper plane? Oh yes. Great ninja skills. Great improvisation too. Next time, try aiming at the PRACTICE POSTS OUTSIDE!" He paused, straightening and frowning slightly. "Back to your seat. Hiruko, make sure nobody _else _tries to kill a classmate. I'll be back."

Turning towards the door, he gave Shikamaru a slight, concerned smile and exited, closing it smartly behind him. "Well, this is a surprise. Thought you never wanted to see this place again, huh?"

Despite the teasing tone, Shikamaru could see that Iruka was fully aware that something serious was up. He gave him a heartfelt, if tired, smile. "Iruka sensei. Ever the disciplinarian."

Iruka waved him off. "I gather from the time of day that you're not here to catch up on old times. What's going on?"

Gesturing slightly, Shikamaru sighed. "Is there somewhere we can talk privately?"

Nodding, the sensei led him to what seemed to be the staff area, where he greeted a few others, and through an adjoining door into a small office. Seating himself, he motioned for Shikamaru to do the same.

"So, what brings you here?"

"I assume you've heard of the civilian killings, sensei?"

"Of course." He now had Iruka's full attention. "And you're . . . ?"

"Uh, yeah. I've been placed in charge of inquiries." Despite the gravity of the topic at hand, Shikamaru did not fail to notice the flash of pride in his old teacher's eyes and the glance that lingered on the chuunin vest which they both now wore. Something inside him steadied and settled, something that enabled him to regain a measure of his composure. He took a breath. "Sensei, something's up. Something not right. And I, well . . . I needed -"

Iruka held up his hand with a faint smile. "Ask what you need to, Shikamaru."

"Right." He paused to gather his thoughts. "My investigation has led me to . . . something unexpected. Before I get into the matter, I just want to know one thing. About Naruto."

He had said the magic word. Or name, rather. Instantly, Iruka was on high alert. "What? Has something - "

"No. Calm down, sensei. It may be nothing, but I have to ask this right now. About when Naruto was a kid. You know, before he was at the Academy and stuff. Did anything . . . bad happen to him?" Seeing how Iruka's expression grew blank and stiff, he was quick to remedy the situation. "Sensei, I'm fully aware of the details surrounding . . . that. I knew before I made chuunin, actually. It wasn't exactly hard to deduce, given the things that used to happen during his missions. A Jinchuuriki's identity, especially one as . . . uninhibited as Naruto, would be common knowledge to anyone in the village with half a brain and a desire to read. And," he shrugged, adding far more firmly than he realised, "Naruto's my comrade. My friend. And we all know friends come with baggage. Same goes for any of us rookie nine."

Iruka's shoulders drooped visibly and he gave a small, rueful laugh. "I was right about you from the start, Shikamaru. Always seeming half asleep, yet never failing to surprise me. Naruto, he - he's managed to do so much, achieve so much despite the Kyuubi that I . . . "

"Yeah, you always were the nurturing type."

Iruka sputtered indignantly, before returning the slight grin the younger chuunin wore. It faded as Shikamaru's earlier question came back to him. "By anything _bad_ happening, what do you mean by that?"

"Civilians knew about the Kyuubi too, right?"

"Of course. The Hokage was against it, in Naruto's interest, but the Council virtually made it law."

"I see. Well, that's what I'm asking about. Victimization from the villagers. I've seen it myself all too often, but I want to know about when, and if, it got seriously bad."

Iruka blew out a breath and rested his elbows on his knees. "I don't see how this connects to your investigation, but to answer your question, yes. Naruto was under supervision - surveillance, actually, for most of his childhood. He was assigned ANBU guards under orders to remain unseen at all times. We all knew the Hokage had assigned them for Naruto's safety more than the village's. Definitely not the story he spun for the village council. He had to convince them to allocate the manpower, see?" Shikamaru nodded and he continued. "When he entered the academy, Hokage-sama relaxed the all hours-watch on him to just routine checking once a day. There were times, however, when the ANBU guards had to . . . step in. Especially during a certain time of year, when the incidents escalated. I was only informed of this, because, as Naruto's academy teacher, I was also responsible for his safety during academy hours. There was . . . verbal abuse. Worse than the regular stuff. Objects thrown. Shopkeepers refusing to serve him. And then there were times when it got bad. Physical violence. Someone set fire to his apartment once."

Shikamaru sat up straighter. "Burning of his apartment. What do you know about that?"

His sensei shrugged, looking slightly puzzled. "Nothing much. I was out of the village, on special mission duty at the time. I don't know any details, other than that they were minors and they got off with a rap on the knuckles." He scowled. "Of course they would."

Nodding, Shikamaru changed tack. "Yeah, makes sense. Now, there's another more sensitive topic in this mess. Daisuke-sensei."

Iruka's expression grew grave. "Hm, I thought as much. So it's connected to those other killings, I presume?"

"Yeah, at least, that's what it looks like. Anything you can tell me about him?"

"Will you tell me what this has to do with Naruto?"

"Sensei . . . it's really too early to say. Just tell me a few more things and I'll give you whatever I have."

Sighing, Iruka nodded. "Sure. Let's see. Daisuke. Kept to himself a lot. Had a chuunin son and a medic-nin daughter. Was proud of them. His wife had died in the Kyuubi attack. He was a part of the defensive force of Konoha during that time and received a leg injury that forced him to retire from field duty. Never socialized much with him, so I can't give any details of his personal life."

There was something in the crisp, professional manner in which Iruka gave this run-down that led Shikamaru to his next question. "Didn't like him much?"

He received a sharp glance that somehow managed to make him feel ten years old again. "_Liking_ has nothing to do with my feelings on the loss of a comrade and fellow instructor. You should know this, Shikamaru."

He raised his hands placatingly. "Just an observation, sensei. Can't help myself. May I ask why?"

"Oh for the love of - you're right. No, I didn't like him much. And we didn't speak other than formally due to a small argument we had some years back. Which in no way implies that -"

"I _know_, sensei. What did you argue about?"

For the first time, Iruka looked distinctly unsettled. "It - It was about Naruto, now that I think of it."

The uneasiness Shikamaru had felt earlier returned full force, a strong sense of foreboding now in accompaniment. "What about Naruto?"

"Well, it was victimization, to put it frankly." Iruka gestured helplessly. "We all know what a klutz Naruto used to be the moment you put a kunai in his hand. He was badly injured during a practice session in his first year at the academy."

"I don't remember that."

"You wouldn't. They did a good job of hushing it up. It was after hours. Naruto was with a few other students on the practice field, going at the post. Nobody knows how he got hold of a real kunai, but he slashed his arm up pretty badly. Daisuke-sensei was on duty."

Shikamaru watched as his former sensei's gaze took on a frosty quality. "Daisuke refused Naruto emergency medical treatment, which would have been offered to any other student. He patched up his arm sloppily and told him to run along. The ANBU assigned the daily check-up showed up at the Hokage tower late that night with Naruto. He had a raging fever from infection. He only regained consciousness three days after treatment. For such a small child, there was a limit to what the Kyuubi's healing power could do without destroying his chakra network."

Feeling faintly ill, the young Nara grimaced. "But wasn't there any kind of disciplinary action? Surely, an academy instructor - "

Iruka gave a humourless bark of laughter. "Disciplinary action? Sure. When I heard, I myself raised the issue. I was the only member of staff who did. I was then summarily informed that my complaint had been taken note of and that, considering my background, I should have been the last person to speak up."

"Your background?"

"My parents were killed in the Kyuubi attack." He waved away Shikamaru's apology. "Please, don't. Anyway, it wasn't as if I had been a sterling example. I hadn't taught Naruto at that point. I knew him much the same as all the other villagers did. When they told me to pipe down . . . I did as I was told." He sighed. "It's one of the things I am most ashamed of. I guess it was harder for me to reconcile what Daisuke had done because I was as much to blame."

Feeing slightly awkward, as offering comfort was definitely not his forte, Shikamaru stood. "Sensei, for what it's worth, I can tell you that I don't like the direction this case is taking, or the connections I've been finding to our mutual friend."

Iruka looked up sharply, eyes carefully assessing the younger chuunin's expression. "And what connections would those be?"

"I can't make a conclusive statement. But, from what I've gathered in the past few hours, it looks like someone is planning one hell of a set-up. Where is Naruto right now?"

Noting how Iruka's hands had bunched into fists at his sides, Shikamaru momentarily regretted making an information exchange with him. He'd forgotten just how much his former sensei cared. "Naruto's on a mission. C- rank escort. I was in the mission room when they received the-"

"Sensei?"

"Shikamaru . . . " Iruka's voice was suddenly brittle, his face pinched with worry. "Daisuke. Daisuke was on mission duty that day. He gave Team Kakashi their mission."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Day 8 since Team Kakashi's departure from Konoha<strong>_

The shadow clone's memories came thick and fast. He had sent it out with the code key in the communications tower, with strict orders to evade capture and dispel once it had re-grouped with Kakashi. It had done just that, but the dispelling hadn't been of its own volition. Swearing, Naruto staggered slightly on the still muddy ground as he waded out to Gamakichi.

"Quick, we've got to go!"

"Where to?" The large frog swiveled his head, taking in his surroundings. He shifted, some unpleasant noises emerging from beneath him as he removed his weight from the prone form of the Iwa-nin. Heedless, Naruto took a flying leap onto his back, the retrieved scroll tucked safely into his weapons pouch.

"I'll direct you, just go. Kakashi-sensei's in trouble!"

Without further encouragement, the toad lowered his head and shimmied forward into the tunnel, pausing to coat the shard covered floor with a gobbet of thick toad slime. Emerging into the weak morning light, Naruto pointed him in the right direction and they catapulted away from the wrecked outpost, splintered, silent and still in the dawn. The young shinobi clung tightly to the knobbly skin of his summon, barely glancing at the destruction around him as they headed directly into the surrounding forest.

"What's the situation ahead?"

"ANBU," Naruto replied tersely, "Kakashi-sensei took out the old guy who was in charge here. My clone got to him, but then they swarmed them. I didn't even get a chance to see how many there were."

"Shit." Gamakichi ejected more force into his loping bounds. "What's his condition?"

"Not good. Sharingan one too many times, dammit."

Sensing Naruto's uneasiness, Gamakichi chose not to question him any further. The silence was only broken ten minutes later when Naruto nudged a knee into the toad's back. "Here, here. Turn right a bit. Slow down."

It was a common misconception that toads were clumsy creatures. Indeed, Gamakichi put paid to this idea fully as he slid forward with as much stealth as a viper, secreting a layer of slime onto his skin such that he moved soundlessly through the trees towards their destination. Naruto released his handhold on the toad's back, ejecting a small amount of chakra to his knees such that he stayed anchored on despite the slippery surface. The sounds of battle reached them, the clash of steel on steel, the faint calls of jutsu. It was one of the hardest things Naruto had ever done, inching forward, slowly, slowly, the leaves slipping past them until the fight came into view.

It was more of a corralling than a fight. Naruto gritted his teeth, sweat breaking out on his brow as he saw his sensei, blood caking one side of his face and streaked across his tattered form, hair muddy and tangled, ribcage heaving painfully from exertion, the Sharingan still burning bright and defiant in his left eye socket. He had always seen Kakashi as the hunter, the pack leader, so in sync with his nin-dogs that his fighting style and whole demeanour had taken on some of their characteristics. And here he was, surrounded like a heavily wounded wolf at bay, his tormentors snipping at his ankles as their masked faces flashed past, lunging in for quick debilitating strikes which he was barely holding off. Naruto did not register most of these thoughts in the face of his one overwhelming fear; that of seeing a precious person and friend in mortal danger.

"Gamakichi." The young shinobi's voice was a rough-edged, hard. "Here it comes."

The toad braced himself as a flood of chakra from his summoner lanced through his body, exhilarating, thunderous with latent rage.

* * *

><p>Under ordinary circumstances, he could have taken them. His body, however, had other plans. He could ignore the protesting muscles, the grating, agonizing feel of chakra burn along his spent pathways, the exhaustion, the pain. As a seasoned shinobi, once ANBU, he had found that place within himself many years since. Somewhere to retreat to once the body was well beyond its limit. A place of cold detachment, where every wound was inflicted with no effect, where death would be simply acceptable. In this manner, he had managed to kill two of them, those who had been deceived by his weakness and had ventured a little too close.<p>

But they were closing. He knew it was only a matter of time before he gave them an opening. These were ANBU. Any error was more than enough. Ragged breathing sounded too close in his ear, his own, along with the pounding of his over-taxed heart. He deflected a scattering of poison-tipped senbon and felt a wrench in his shoulder where a tanto caught in his jounin vest, scraping across his collarbone. Gritting his teeth, he lashed out, scoring a hit in an elbow joint. The ANBU skidded away, now clutching a dangling arm. He was immediately confronted by another two, one swooping in from the left for a strike at the head, the other aiming lower from the right. Behind him, another shot out of the ground, kunai winging for the base of his spine. He spun around, dipping, catching the wrist of the ANBU behind him, flinging her upward into the attack of the other. They pivoted in mid-air awkwardly to avoid a collision and he used their distraction to speedily substitute, the sharp _pok_ of a log splitting under the third's tanto. Thinking to intercept him, the tanto-wielding ANBU struck out directly behind him, expecting an attack from that direction. Kakashi slid between his legs, kunai in each hand slicing a hamstring and opening an artery. A grunt of pain reached his ears as the man staggered, clutching at the dark fountain spilling from his thigh.

Pain, yet again. This time from his own leg. The clawed gauntlet of the burly-looking captain struck out, the serrated edges catching on his calf. He stumbled, rolled, opened his eyes in time to see the concealed member of the team, the one he had sensed lurking on the edges of battle, descend from a well-timed leap wielding a long spear honed to a razor-thin tip. He felt the world around him slow, darken, the glittering arc of the spear almost beautiful as it quivered down to meet his flesh. He would not be able to move in time.

And then, a flash across his field of vision. He watched, almost bemused, as the spear punctured the ground some distance from his head and the ANBU was blasted out of the air by a super-pressurized stream of water. There was a scream from the female ANBU, a shout from the captain, a sickening crack as the fifth ANBU caught by the water attack collided with a rocky protrusion some distance away and lay still and limp as a doll. He saw two of them react quickly to the new arrival, darting into the trees where the water had come from and finding nothing. They re-grouped with backs to each other, facing outwards, some with hands in seal formation, others with weapons.

"Rasengan!"

A blaze of yellow shot through the ground at the centre, a spiraling blue sphere aimed right into the unguarded back of the captain. More shouts, a noisy puff of smoke as the clone was dispersed by a tanto, but the captain was already picking himself off the ground some distance away, clutching at his ribs in agony. Eerie echoing shouts came from the trees all around them as more of the wind spheres came to humming, swirling life on the palms of another dozen clones.

"Douton: Earthen wall!"

"Suiton: Moat defence!"

"Raiton: Singing current!"

A towering replica of Kakashi's own favoured earth-oriented tactic shot out of the ground all around the remaining ANBU, the captain managing to throw himself within before it came to a rumbling halt. All around the outer base of the wall, a water barrier crashed into place, a low sonic screech preceding the crackling electricity dancing across the surface. The shadow clones that had rushed forward were dispersed in a thick, obscuring fog, the charge in the water too strong for them to withstand. The remnants of the clones attempted leaping over, some rasengan attacks making contact with the dark walls. A fissure suddenly formed at one end and a dark shape struck out from within, catching one of the clones with a tanto. More of the kage bunshin were emerging from the forest, the few that made it to the walls scoring cracks across its surface that were rapidly reinforced from within. Those that made it across the charged moat were dispatched by the same rapid fissure technique.

Kakashi raised himself on his elbows, dragging himself out of range of the shards of rock sent scattering like shrapnel across the clearing. He could tell, as well as the ANBU probably could, that against the almost perfect defense/offense combo, Naruto's attacks would soon become obsolete and run out. But he, unlike the opponent, knew full well Naruto's capacity for surprise attack. _All these clones . . . a distraction? But from what?_

As if in answer to his mental question, a sudden rustle sounded in the trees above him. A large shadow obscured the light. Looking up, he beheld the underside of a large toad, powerful hind legs outstretched in a leap that carried him directly above the walled enclosure. And astride him, a flash of yellow and orange, hands linked in the tiger seal.

"Toad oil cannon!"

Eyes widening, Kakashi scrambled back, the blast of heat and chakra almost knocking him into the trees. The jet of burning oil was faster and more powerful than he had ever imagined, vaporizing the electrified moat within seconds. Screams of terror and agony sounded from within the earth fortress as cracks opened in its crumbling, hissing surface, the two surviving ANBU diving for safety to prevent being burned alive. The ground reverberated slightly under the heavy landing of the toad as it moved to cut them off. And then, spying Kakashi lying a few feet away, Naruto rapidly pulled Gamakichi into a swerve, sliding from his back and dashing to the older shinobi.

"KAKASHI-SENSEI!"

Dropping his head back to the ground, Kakashi fought the darkness that swam threateningly over his vision, fighting, pushing at that loss of consciousness until . . .

A strong, warm hand, a man's hand with a child's grip, pushed none too gently beneath his head. Bright, blue eyes, so clear despite the destruction they'd just caused for his safety, gazed down into his own. A finger prodded at his eyelid, bringing it down over the Sharingan he'd forgotten was exposed.

"It's okay, sensei. Just sleep."

_Ah, there it was._ There was a faint, unseen smile beneath the mask as the darkness took him.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Forgive any rustiness in the flow of the story, it's been a long time since the last chapter. To clear up any questions about the fight scene in advance, yes, Naruto basically took out a squadron of ANBU. However, I did write this while thinking as realistically as possible. These are Iwa-nin faced with a war-time bogeyman in the form of Kakashi, who manages to kill two of them even while heavily injured and suffering from chakra exhaustion. ANBU are human, after all. And, as an elite assassination squad, their strength lies in quick, deadly kills, not brute force. Rattled as they are by Kakashi and faced with the sheer power of Naruto (who managed to take on Akatsuki, let's not forget), it's an expected outcome for this battle. Thanks, dear readers, once again, for continuing to follow this story!


	11. Hunting Grounds (i)

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto or any Naruto characters portrayed in this fic.

**A/N**: Hello readers! Some personal time and lots of fluff in this chapter. Also, something is REVEALED, heehee. Please pay attention to the time intervals at the beginning of the sections so that you don't feel confused about the sequence of events. Also, if the chapter may seem shorter, please note that this is Part (i) of Chapter 11, with Part (ii) and (iii) being posted in quick succession. The timeline of this story follows the time-skip, after Naruto develops the Rasen-shuriken technique, but after that deviates from canon. Reviews and feedback appreciated!

**PART 2: Flight**

**Chapter 11: Hunting Grounds, Part (i)**

_**Day 8 since Team Kakashi's departure from Konoha (12:00)**_

It was around midday when they paused their punishing pace, his fingers clenched tightly in the heavy material of his sensei's flak jacket, Gamakichi's leaps and bounds carrying them further and further along their intended path. Kakashi lay prone across the toad's broad back before him, the wind of their passage sending whiffs of blood, sweat and metal backwards from his tattered, discoloured clothes and hair. Clenching his teeth, Naruto scanned the trees behind them, then the forest floor.

_That should have been time enough for him to get some info and disperse. _

Summoning a small amount of chakra, he bit a finger and slammed his palm down, black seals erupting from the contact with the wart-ridden orange skin. A small toad saluted him smartly once the smoke had sufficiently cleared. It was Kosuke, the messenger toad Jiraiya had left with Tsunade. Naruto had summoned him earlier, quite by chance, gaining some valuable information on the Hokage's actions and the retrieval team sent out after them. He had promptly sent the toad out to spy on the ANBU pursuing them.

"Reporting, boss. There were two back-up ANBU squads. Five members each. Three ANBU remained behind to seal away the corpses and tend injuries, while the others remained in pursuit. Their orders are as follows: to capture you, boss, and kill Kakashi-san, while preserving his sharingan. They will wait to execute these orders until you reach the mountain pass. With the greater number of shinobi available there, they hope to subdue you in case you call on the bijuu's chakra."

Naruto nodded tersely. "Yeah, makes sense. Thanks, Kosuke."

He received a respectful nod. "Boss." A puff of smoke later and his diminutive spy had dispersed. Beneath him, Gamakichi's head shifted. "What now?"

"We'll stop at the next clearing. Kakashi-sensei's wounds . . . kinda look bad."

"Yeah, but - "

"And almost total chakra exhaustion too, looks like. Except this time, Tsunade baa-chan is not here to bail his stupid, lazy ass out."

"Oi, Naruto, are you - "

"You heard Kosuke" The young shinobi allowed himself a grim smile. "They won't attack before the pass, thanks to the stunts we pulled back there. I can't do much about the chakra exhaustion, but I've got the medi-kit from Sakura-chan. Oh, and Hinata gave me some of that cool ointment thing she makes. It should take care of the pain, too."

The toad sighed. "Whatever. But I'm not dispersing just yet, in case you need a quick get-away."

Naruto grinned. "Thanks a bunch, Gamakichi!"

They landed heavily, a number of flying insects whirring away from the long, damp grass around them. It was already much cooler with the increase in altitude and the trees were thinning out, giving way to rocky ground and jagged slopes. Placing his sensei carefully on a makeshift bed of their combined cloaks, Naruto stripped off his jacket and spread it over the unconscious man.

"Get some rest, Gamakichi. I'll send out some clones to keep watch."

The toad rotated his considerable bulk away from his summoner, orange lids closing slowly over the large, slit pupils. Naruto hastily formed six bunshin and set them off in different directions with firm instructions not to stray too far. Dropping to his haunches, he rummaged around in their packs, selecting a number of items and placing them out in ordered array before him, pausing now and then with closed eyes, nodding in thought and removing another article. When he had everything he needed, he rinsed his hands briefly in the lukewarm water from the large canteen and pulled back the jacket on Kakashi, carefully unzipping the jounin vest and raising his sensei's inner clothes with a sense of _d__éjà vu_. He dampened a cotton swab from the medi-kit, with a little sterilizing ointment smeared over the tip and, as gently as possible, cleaned the more serious wounds first. None of the cuts or abrasions were large, but some were deep and had bled out considerably enough to cause concern. Kakashi's mail shirt and flak jacket had localized the bleeding such that the clotting was effective, but infection was the real risk. The cleaning was followed by an application of Hinata's 'miracle' ointment and clean bandages carefully wrapped around Kakashi's torso and leg. Squatting back on his heels, the young shinobi wiped off his forehead with his forearm, inspecting his work.

_Not bad. But Sakura-chan would've done a whole lot better._ Shaking away these gloomy thoughts, he ate a few ration bars before standing and summoning three clones. Brandishing the key scroll from the bunker and the coded leaflet he had retrieved from Kakashi's pouch, he explained their task.

"Ok, guys. We've gotta de-code this thing. This here is the key, which will tell us how to crack the code. This _here_ is the message we're gonna crack. Any questions?"

Seeing the deadpan expressions on some of the bunshin, he cleared his throat and hastily opened the message out. "Right, there's three lines in this message. To speed things up, I'll give each of you a line and a copy of the key. How's that?"

"Yeah!"

"Ok!"

"Let's do it, boss!"

Naruto scrambled around in his pack before retrieving some rather crumpled, stained paper that had been used as the outer wrapping of his supper the night before Igarashi's kidnapping. Tearing it in half, he copied the key onto each and handed it to the clones along with the original. "Here you go. Get cracking!"

The key was a simple, if effective one. A random figure or symbol had been assigned to each of the letters forming the coded message. Furthermore, it was triple-layered, with at least three deciphering stages required before the final message was ready. Fortunately, the bunker had been considered secure enough to store keys to all three layers of coding. Without the first two, all the effort he and Kakashi had expended on getting hold of this information would have been rendered obsolete. Seeing that his clones were properly occupied with their assigned tasks, Naruto turned his attention to Kakashi. Striding over to him, he ripped the wrapper off another ration bar before breaking it into quarters.

"Sensei. Hey, sensei."

Kakashi's head lolled from the gentle shake and Naruto tried once more. This time, a pained groan sounded and the older man's eye fluttered open. His gaze wandered for a while before settling on the worried face of his student. "N - Naru . . . "

"It's all right, sensei. I wrapped you up good. Here." He offered a piece of the ration bar. "You'd better eat this and get your strength up."

Kakashi looked blearily down at his student's hand, then back up at him, ignoring the food. "Naruto . . . I . . . I'm sorry."

"Huh?" Now really concerned, the young shinobi leaned forward. "What are you talking about? You can't eat? Come on, sensei. I won't look at your face, I promise. Just - "

"No!" Kakashi was breathing heavily, the space between his eyebrows furrowed deeply. "I'm sorry . . . for everything."

Having said this, his head fell back against the folded jacket, single eye closed once again. Naruto shuffled forward, still determined, and carefully, but firmly slid his arm beneath Kakashi's shoulders, raising him once again. He turned slightly so that only the top of his sensei's mass of dirt-streaked silver hair lay within his vision. Reaching up, he took a breath, then hooked a finger beneath the cloth mask and pulled it down until it rested in folds around Kakashi's neck. The small piece of ration bar was pressed against the barely conscious man's lips and Naruto held it there, insistently, until, with great relief, he felt a tug on his fingers as a small, hesitant bite was taken. The rest of the ration bar was eaten, slowly, but surely in this fashion, Kakashi pausing now and then to gather his strength.

Dusting his fingers off, Naruto was about to pull the mask back into place, when a pressure on his wrist stopped him. He waited silently, glancing down at the gloved hand that gripped his sleeve, the worried frown he had worn earlier re-forming on his brow. Kakashi was attempting to speak again. "Naru . . . to."

"I'm here, sensei."

"It was . . . too hard. Too hard to see him . . . you . . . everyday. I'm a . . . c - coward. I - I failed . . . you."

"Sensei, stop." Despite having no idea what Kakashi was talking about, something about the manner in which the older man was speaking made the hairs stand up on his arms and neck. It was as if each word was drawn out, agonized, more deeply felt and sincere than anything he had ever heard in that calm, lackadaisical voice. "Whatever you have to say, it can wait til' you're all better."

Naruto suddenly straightened, swearing softly and pressing a hand to the other's exposed neck. His sensei was burning up, the skin scorching under his fingers. "Shit!" Slipping his arm from under Kakashi, he grabbed the back-pack and brought out the medi-kit once more, fingers scrabbling over the lid on the pill box before opening it out, shaking a few beige-colored capsules into his palm. He raised his sensei up, higher this time, finally and reluctantly lifting his eyes to Kakashi's face, holding his breath, eyes widening despite the situation. Behind him, the three clones had stopped in the de-coding process and were staring, open-mouthed and unashamed.

"Wow!"

"Incredible!"

"It's . . . it's sensei's face! No way!"

"Shut up and get back to work!"

Exhaling deeply, he turned back to Kakashi. Truthfully, he didn't know what he had been expecting. Certainly not the fish lips and buck-teeth that they had envisioned in childish fantasies as Team seven of old. Kakashi, their sensei, _his_ sensei, looked . . . young. Young and haggard. He had even, fine features, a straight, almost aristocratic nose and a strong, narrow jaw-line, what he supposed many women would consider handsome. There was a shadow of stubble on his cheeks and a crust of blood around the corners of his mouth. The scar over his sharingan eye extended into his cheek, the edges jagged and lighter in colour against the already pale skin. Wordlessly, Naruto placed the two fever pills between the cracked lips, pausing to brush some of the dark, residual dried blood away. He held the canteen up, nudging softly with the mouthpiece. Kakashi took a few gulps, relapsed against his arm and was silent for a few minutes, breathing so evenly and deeply that he seemed to be asleep. Then his hand lifted, stretching backwards, groping until it encountered his student's head and rested there. "N-Never . . . liked . . . Sasuke more. C- Coward. You look . . . just like . . . sensei. O-Obito. I'm y - your . . . sensei. Die for you . . . for Sakura."

Naruto was trembling beneath the warm hand on his head, something heavy and hard settling in his throat. "Sensei, I know. Just . . . just stop. You'll be fine, you'll see, Tsunade baa-chan will patch you up. And then we'll go . . . we'll go for ramen! Like always, sensei."

"F-Forgive . . . me."

And the young shinobi almost gave his loud laugh, his quick, brash reassurance, but something prevented him. Something to do with that damned obstruction in his throat that made him feel twelve years old all over again. "Kakashi-sensei. We're not just a team. We're family. I don't know much about family myself. Never had a real one. But I know now, because of you. Because of Sakura-chan. And even Sasuke-teme. And Hokage-jiji and Tsunade baa-chan. And Ero-sennin." He grasped the hand that had tightened imperceptibly in his hair while he spoke and brought it gently down. "And when you're family, you don't have to say sorry. Not really. 'Cause we just know you are, see?"

* * *

><p><em><strong>Day 8 since Team Kakashi's departure from Konoha (16:00)<strong>_

They had made good time through Waterfall Country, jackets and cloaks making a quick appearance as the cooler climate of the heavily wooded, damp and river-ridden land settled around them. For some portions of the journey they'd had to drop to the forest floor, the moss and lichen, growing in luminous yellow-green patchwork on trunks and branches, making tree-hopping far too perilous and slippery. Jiraiya had kept an excellent pace, holding them at their limit with quick breaks between for light meals. Despite the strenuous nature of their run, no soldier pills had been broken out yet. There had been little to no conversation, save when they stopped to re-orient themselves and took watch breaks at night. Each wrapped in their own thoughts, focused on the goal ahead, Sakura found that she could have not asked for better accompaniment. There was no distraction from her determination to regain her teammates, for Hinata, Shino, Kiba and above all, Jiraiya, were as keen as Kakashi's hounds on a fresh scent. For their precious people, their comrades.

Sometime in the afternoon, Jiraiya called a sudden halt. He motioned Hinata forward.

"Byakugan!" Veins erupted in fine tracework around her pale eyes as she sprang ahead and stopped further on. "Th-This is as far as we'll get for now without concealment, Jiraiya-sama."

"What's up there?"

"A stretch of trees, f-for a hundred metres, a short drop, more ground, f-forming a plateau and then a steeper cliff. There's a river, then a stretch of open ground. A path leads off . . . into the overpass. There are s-some buildings, outposts I think, because some shinobi are manning it. I can't tell you numbers at this distance."

Jiraiya nodded. "Sounds about right from what I know of this area. Anything we can use as cover?"

"Yes. There's an overhang. It r-runs all the way along the bottom of the ravine. I-If we travel beneath it for a while, there's an opening in the cliff face. It would be good cover."

"Great. Let's get moving. From this point on, only hand signals permitted. Once we get to the cave I'll make sure nobody can hear us, by a handy little trick I happen to know. Then we'll discuss the extraction. Everyone, out!"

Blurring into swift, silent motion, they passed from the cover of the trees into afternoon sunlight. Sakura formed a quick set of hand signs as they ran. "Genjutsu: Body Refraction."

Automatically, her companions drew closer, enabling her to maneuver a tightly controlled net of illusory chakra over their moving forms. From a distance, their group would be all but invisible, the thin sheet of chakra diverting reflection of the sun's rays. Jiraiya kept formation at front, while Hinata, Kiba and Shino took defensive positions around her, aware that her concentration would be largely taken up by maintaining the jutsu while moving. They made the plateau, Hinata's byakugan activating once more as the distant ninja fortification came into sight. The ravine was within sight now, and they ran vertically down the cliff, not pausing or breaking stride until safely under the overhang. Kiba and Akamaru went ahead, the large dog just before his master, as their keen noses sniffed out any possible ambush. He gave a signal and they followed quickly, slipping within the confines of the dark, cool niche. Sakura took a breath and released the genjutsu.

Jiraiya nodded as they all settled in a circle and Hinata handed out ration bars in easy routine. Munching quietly, they watched as the toad Sannin performed a small whispered jutsu and the air at the entrance of the alcove shimmered slightly. He let out a whoof of breath and knelt, biting his thumb and summoning a small toad. "Jiraiya-sama. Reporting from the Hokage." The diminutive animal snapped into a smart salute.

"What news, Kosuke? "

"Naruto and Kakashi-san are now being treated as a class five inflitration. The orders are to capture Naruto and eliminate Kakashi-san, while preserving his sharingan eye."

"_What_?" Sakura was on her feet, face pale and furious.

Jiraiya gestured her to pipe down, although his mouth had settled into characteristic downturned worry. "What else?"

"The ambassador for Iwa has brought to Hokage-sama's attention that the Council of Iwagakure will not look on this lightly and will not accept the evidence given of their abduction. The extraction cannot be conducted within Earth Country borders, as we will not be given the entry rights to do so. They are currently being pursued as S-rank criminals by squads of ANBU."

"Naruto-kun . . . " Hinata looked slightly ill, Kiba was scowling heavily and Shino glanced outside the cave, seeming preoccupied. Sakura's fists were bunched at her sides.

"Take it easy, you guys." Jiraiya stood, hands on hips. "This is a test of fortitude and we will not endanger Naruto and Kakashi by rash action and - "

"But that's not all!"

Jiraiya looked down, slightly confused at the small toad that had not dispersed. "Huh?"

"I bring a message from Naruto."

A small shriek of surprise escaped Sakura and suddenly, Kosuke found himself surrounded by four faces radiating a fiery aura. "WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY SO FIRST?!"

"Ah," the toad lips stretched sheepishly, "For dramatic effect?"

"You little - " Kiba was about to snatch at him, when Jiraiya stopped him.

"That's enough. I was waiting on Naruto to think of this. One of the few advantages of having a multiple user summoning contract. Set all toads on alert for a summon from him. What's the situation, Kosuke?"

"He and Kakashi-san are almost within the pass. They managed to gain access to a copy of the coded message sent to Iwagakure, the one responsible for framing them." The toad opened his mouth and a small scroll case shot out, wrapped in the warty, pink flesh of his tongue. Jiraiya snatched it away, ripping it open.

"And those two? Their status?"

"Naruto is uninjured. Kakashi is heavily wounded, sustaining injuries to torso and leg, suffering from chakra exhaustion and high fever." Sakura moaned slightly, running a hand through her hair.

A short message was inscribed on a coding leaflet from the scroll case, along with the decoded message in Naruto's large handwriting and the code key on a separate page. Jiraiya read through it once silently, then aloud. "Red alert for two Konoha infiltrators within borders in two days. Sharingan Kakashi and jinchuuriki Uzumaki Naruto. Send word to Shigure once neutralized."

"Shigure?" Shino enquired.

Jiraiya looked thoughtful. "It's a code name of course. Only, one I've heard before. My intelligence network identifies a member of the Iwa council, one Tetsumo Tanaka, as Shigure. He's nothing but a third-rate bribe-taker. He's tolerated, of course, because he also happens to be a shrewd businessman and brings in quite a bit of revenue. He's popped up on my radar many times, since he's now expanded his business interests into trading intelligence. The shitty brat has no idea what he's doing most of the time, thinks he's a regular spymaster. He's taking a much bigger risk on this one, though. It's make or break for him. The Iwa council and Tshuchikage have obviously sanctioned this, but unofficially. If they manage to get hold of Naruto and Kakashi, he'll be upped on the power and influence scale quite a bit. If not," he shrugged, "he'll be relegated to cash ledgers for some time to come."

"B-But who gave him the intel?" Hinata had taken the message and was reading Naruto's postscript, with the rest reading over her shoulder, Sakura with a small, almost pained smile.

"Someone from Konoha." Jiraiya sounded grim. "Someone with credibility and influence, presumably, since Tanaka's gambled his entire career on the accuracy of the information."

Kiba snarled. "So we have a spy in Konoha?"

"Not necessarily. Remember, the fuuinjutsu targeted Kakashi, but Naruto was subsequently added in. It could be any number of conspirators, and one of them has an obvious grudge against Naruto. Three guesses why."

Sakura raised a clenched fist and her companions backed away when they sensed the condensed chakra around it. "And when I find them, getting rid of my team mates will be the least of their worries."

Jiraiya sighed. "Put that away. We need to think this through carefully. Kosuke, what's the time frame we're looking at?"

"Naruto and Kakashi entered the pass thirty minutes ago. He had Gamakichi out to take them there faster. He summoned me to take the message and then dispersed us both before he entered the pass."

Nodding, the toad sage's eyes narrowed. "They'll have to make use of all the stealth they possess, and even then, they'll probably be detected. All passages in and out of Iwa have at least one sensory shinobi present. We'll have to maintain a close position and be ready when they make a break for it."

"Are we engaging the Iwa nin?" Sakura looked surprised.

Jiraiya grinned. "Sure we are. This ravine is one of the markers of Iwa's borders. The moment they set foot over it, we're well within our rights to defend our position and the fugitives. I happen to have very good relations with Waterfall's ruling shinobi clan."

He received encouraged and, in Kiba's case, gleeful nods from the young shinobi around him. Sakura took the message from Hinata and ran a finger over the slightly smudged, charred wood letters littering the bottom of the page.

'_ERO-SENNIN! You better give this message to Baa-chan. _

_This Shigure bastard SCREWED US OVER. Kakashi-sensei is not doing good. He's talking funny. Tell Sakura-chan to be ready with meds and stuff. _

_SAKURA-CHAN, I saw sensei's FACE! Haahaa. Lucky! Don't worry, I'll protect sensei._'

This was followed by a small smiling toad sketch. Feeling the determination seep into her from this concrete reassurance, she handed the slip of paper back to Jiraiya and breathed in deeply. Jiraiya had already inscribed a message of his own onto a scroll and handed it over to Kosuke along with Naruto's decoded efforts.

"Get this to Tsunade, fast as you can."

"Yes, boss!"

Watching the leaping figure of the small toad slip lightly beneath the water of the river below, Jiraiya turned to Shino. "All done?"

Dark glasses were pushed up the bridge of the Aburame's nose with something that looked suspiciously like smugness. "Of course, Jiraiya-sama."

The Sannin's grin now looked positively feral. "Team Retrieval, time to take off the kid gloves."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Yes, I actually tried very hard to keep Kakashi's face concealed, but it just wasn't working out. Naruto had to remove it in order to take care of him. Tried to make it as realistic as possible though, considering the basic outline we see of his face through the mask. And no, although it sounds as if he's giving a death-bed confession, he isn't. He's just delirious from fever and Naruto's just shaken because he's never heard his sensei speak this way before. Next up: Chapter 11, Hunting Grounds, part (ii), where the pursuit heats up. Updated because of a change in time intervals!


	12. Hunting Grounds (ii)

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto or any Naruto characters portrayed in this fic.

**A/N**: And here's Part (ii) of Chapter 11: Hunting Grounds, as promised :) The timeline of this story follows the time-skip, after Naruto develops the Fuuton Rasengan (as pointed out by a very sharp reviewer) technique, but after that deviates from canon. Reviews and feedback appreciated!

**PART 2: Flight**

**Chapter 11: Hunting Grounds, Part (ii)**

_**Day 7 since Team Kakashi's departure from Konoha (17:00)**_

He had turned his pants and jacket inside out, an advantage that Jiraiya had pointed out when he had first bought Naruto the orange duo. The lining of the clothes were composed of soft tan and black material, allowing him to blend in with the rocky surroundings, somewhat. His bright yellow hair had been henge'd to muddy brown as he entered the pass, carrying Kakashi in piggyback fashion, with some trepidation. His sensei, although a solid weight, was not overbearing. The lankiness of the jounin was what contributed to some awkwardness in movement, due to his arms and legs being significantly longer than Naruto's own. For now, he moved carefully and at a steady pace, not willing to alert the shinobi guarding the pass to their presence just yet.

_Ero-sennin, you'd better be there on time!_

A sound filtered down to his over-sensitized hearing and he stopped sharply, hitching Kakashi closer. The distant voices heralded the first of the shinobi watchpoints of the pass. Edging forward painfully slowly, Naruto peered around the large rock obscuring his vision of the pass ahead. There were four of them, so well camouflaged that he would have missed them had it not been for the hushed conversation that took place as the watch changed. There was a quick exchange and two of the shinobi leapt down the rock face, darting away towards the end of the pass. Ducking back, Naruto gnawed on his lip. There would be more of such watchpoints along the way. The higher security was obviously because they had been forewarned of his approach. The ANBU would be on him soon, herding him towards the more heavily defended exit to Waterfall Country. He glanced back at Kakashi, a hot, inert weight on his back, the mask back in place and head resting snugly against the back of his own. He could not afford his usual straightforward approach, with his sensei in such a vulnerable state and position. Torn between making a break for it and chancing stealth, Naruto did not, at first, realise that the faint buzzing sound he had heard continuously for the past few minutes had steadily grown in volume. It was the tingling sensation on his leg that prompted him to glance down and then stiffen in shock, the sudden intake of breath quickly stifled at the sight which met his eyes.

Bugs. Lots of them. And they looked rather familiar, now that he thought about it. He edged away and they followed, their small fluttering forms forming a cloud around his ankles and drifting more and more quickly towards him, growing in number. There was a sudden ripple in their movement and they seemed to plaster themselves in a convoluting mass against the rock face beside him. He watched, eyes widening and smile slowly forming as the indistinct shapes sharpened and grew clearer, spelling out words he could read.

IN POSITION AT PASS EXIT

KIKAICHU WILL CAMOUFLAGE

CREATE DIVERSION

_They're here!_

Unable to wipe the happiness from his face, he stretched out his arms, the bugs immediately adhering to every surface of him besides the eyes, crawling across him and enveloping Kakashi at his back. There was a dampening of their noise, growing lower until it was nothing more than a faint hum. In a collective movement, all the kikaichu turned their bodies outward, a soft rustle sounding as wings opened and began to flutter in a complex pattern. Looking down at himself in wonderment, Naruto saw that he had all but vanished from his own view, light fractals forming in ever-changing ripples, adapting perfectly to his surroundings.

_Awesome, Shino! _

Remembering the last line of the message, he knelt, letting the ground take his sensei's weight. Bringing his fingers together with a wide, foxy grin, he crossed them in his signature stance.

"Tajuu kage bunshin!"

* * *

><p>Sakura worried at her lip, eyes glued to the pass ahead. They had taken up a position as close to the outermost fortification as possible without risk of being detected. Jiraiya was at her left flank, Shino beside the Sannin, with Hinata and Kiba a little ahead, their scouting abilities allowing them to ascertain the approach of an enemy and the movements of the ninja ahead. A light buzzing alerted them to the return of one of Shino's kikaichu. The small black form alighted on the bug-users outstretched hand and he appeared to be listening intently for a few moments. He turned to them, dark glasses reflecting the pale sunlight filtering into their hiding place.<p>

"Any moment now. Be ready."

Nodding, Sakura slipped on her gloves, the leather bunching and squeaking slightly within her clenched fists. _It's time to bring you back. Kakashi-sensei. Naruto. I'll be the one saving your ass this time._

Jiraiya motioned them into formation, himself in the lead, one hand already at the pouch strapped to his leg. The sudden sound of multiple loud shouts, steadily growing in volume, alerted them to the disturbance they were watching for. Hinata could make out the sudden change in motion patterns of the shinobi guarding the pass, a swarming of chakra signatures collecting at the bottleneck entrance. There was the distant sound of metal screeching, the clang of thrown kunai ricocheting in fierce projectile battle, the screaming and shouting growing ever clearer. Nerves drawn tight as steel springs, the four young Leaf shinobi waited for Jiraiya's signal as the first signs of Naruto's imminent appearance began to show.

"Almost, almost . . . " Jiraiya raised his hand.

There was an escalation up ahead, the sounds of battle spilling out of the narrow pass and into the fort outside. A hundred duplicates of a very familiar, loud voice echoed across the ravine to their hiding place.

"Rasengan!" There was a dull, reverberating boom, clouds of dust and sand billowing forward, carried by the wind.

"NOW!" Jiraiya's hand had barely dropped before they were shooting out from their cover, chakra-propelled leaps launching them upwards along the narrow divide that marked the border. Sakura fell into step behind Hinata, keeping to the path she set, her companions' footsteps thundering in her ears along with her own heartbeat.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Day 8 since Team Kakashi's departure from Konoha <strong>_

"They've been _what_?"

It was a very rare occurrence to see the young Nara lose his composure completely.

"You heard me. As of this time, that is the situation." Tsunade's honey-brown eyes regarded him wearily across the desktop.

"But . . . but that's . . . Hokage-sama! Why didn't you inform me of this at the outset? What's being done to clear their names?"

"Quiet!"

He piped down, seeming to suddenly gather his wits. "I'm sorry, Hokage-sama, if I spoke out of line here. I just - "

She waved his apology away. "No need. I understand your feelings on this. We're all dealing with similar emotions. But now is not the time to bring them up and allow them to cloud our judgment and reasoning. You, more than anyone, should know this, Shikamaru. You were not informed because this was a high-security investigation, involving treason. You only learned this morning of Naruto's involvement. We had no way of knowing that the two cases were linked."

He had the grace to look shame-faced for a minute. "Yes, Hokage-sama, I understand." He straightened, eyes taking on a familiar intensity. "This clears up some things in the murder case, I believe. From the evidence, it first looked to me as if someone were trying to frame Naruto for murder. The first five victims, although appearing to have no connection to each other on the surface, had collaborated years ago, while still teenagers, in an arson. They set fire to Naruto's apartment during the festival of the Kyuubi's defeat."

Shizune dropped the folders she was holding, earning a sharp glance from Tsunade. "Continue."

"The sixth victim, Daisuke, a shinobi and instructor at the Academy, had victimized Naruto during the period in which he taught him. There was an incident in which Naruto was badly injured and Daisuke purposefully denied him proper medical treatment. As a result, Naruto was laid up for a few days before he healed fully."

"And these are the only connections you could find between the victims? These conclusions have valid basis, but could they not be coincidence?"

"Not after speaking to Iruka-sensei, no." Shikamaru shook his head gravely. "According to the evidence he gave, Daisuke was the one who assigned Team Kakashi their mission. He was working in the mission room at the time and witnessed this. Here's a copy of his responses."

He placed a folder on the desk before her. Tsunade's red-laquered fingertips came to rest on it, pushing down, but she did not open the folder, seeming deep in thought. "You say that Naruto being framed for murder was your initial surmise. What is the evidence telling us now?"

"That what's happening here, with the murders and so forth, is the _exact opposite_. Someone took great pains to ensure that Team Kakashi got that mission and set up the translocation jutsu so that Naruto would be out of the way when the time came. Whoever it was wanted him gone when the people who wronged him were taken out. They _did not _want him blamed for the murders."

Shizune's skin had taken on a pale hue. "Who would do something - "

Tsunade held up a hand. "The question is not so much who, but more so,_ why_. And why now? They've had years in which to wreak this vengeance. And this theory still doesn't explain why Naruto and Kakashi ended up in Iwa country of all places, framed as spies. If this person were really acting in Naruto's interests, as he or she believes, why would they create a situation where Naruto himself is placed in mortal danger?"

"The translocation jutsu. Without that, my theory makes no sense whatsoever."

"Explain."

"According to Jiraiya-sama's analysis, the portion of the jutsu targeting Naruto was added in subsequently, by a different person. The initial creator of the jutsu had targeted Kakashi only. Naruto was simply meant to be away on a mission while this was going on. Whoever set all of this up never meant for him to go to Earth country. The accomplice, or whoever else had contact with the jutsu, had other ideas. I have my suspicions as to who the accomplice was, but without concrete evidence, I cannot - "

In retrospect, Shikamaru would readily admit that he had been completely frozen for a minute. The sound of the explosion was so distant, so disarmingly out of the blue, that he did not even register the implications until the floor beneath his feet shook with the force and the windows began to rattle. Tsunade was on her feet in an instant, Shizune springing to her side along with a contingent of ANBU that flashed out of nowhere and took up perfect formation around her.

"WHAT IS GOING ON?"

"A team has already left to investigate, Hokage-sama." The frog-masked ANBU never moved while he spoke. "They will report shortly."

* * *

><p>The clones served their purpose well. Knuckles turning white from the force with which he was now gripping Kakashi while dodging stray projectiles and unknown jutsu, Naruto repeated a constant mantra in his head. <em>Let me make it through. Please, just a little more. <em>Ahead, somewhere in the heat of battle, noise and confusion, his fellow Konoha shinobi were waiting for the right moment to retrieve him. He darted past the last watch point, senses hyper alert and adrenaline soaring in stomach-lurching pulses, pausing for a moment to regain his bearings. Ahead, a wall of beige-clad clones bore down on the bristling Iwa nin. The rumbling beneath his feet gave him ample warning as two rock and earth slabs, both at least three times the width of his body, slammed into the army of kage bunshin from either side. From his vantage point, he could see the explosive tags plastered over the inner portions of the rock arch that had formed across the narrow pass, trapping the clones effectively in an explosive pincer formation.

There was a frantic shout of "Release!" and the resulting explosion sent shards of rock rocketing back along the pass, forcing him to take cover against the corner of the mountainside. Glancing up, ears ringing, he checked Kakashi, only to realize, with a start of horror, that the blast had blown off a good portion of Shino's kikaichu. The basic camouflage was still apparent, but would never stand up to close inspection. Swearing softly, he checked the pass ahead, determined to make a break for it. The remaining clones were still fair in number and seemed to be keeping the Iwa nin occupied with some devastating and inventive combos.

An idea suddenly occurring to him, the young shinobi temporarily released Kakashi, freeing his hands. He produced a small group of bunshin, himself keeping to the rear left. They rushed forward together, the bunshin producing kunai and deflecting projectiles aimed in their direction. Managing to blend in with the wall of battling bunshin, Naruto slipped through, slowly and carefully, eyes watering and nostrils clogging with the dust raised by the explosions and damage done within the confining space of the pass. Sometimes he would feel a helping hand at his back, nudging him in the right direction. Kakashi had shifted a few times, as if the older shinobi's battle senses refused to let him lie still in the current situation. _Almost, sensei. We're almost there._

A wide expanse of sky opened out ahead, beyond the walls of the fortifications. Naruto exhaled noisily, blowing out sand, as the remaining kikaichu suddenly gathered their wings in unison and whirred away from him, arcing in a small, barely noticeable stream over the hewn, earthen walls and suddenly dropping to somewhere beneath. A slow grin spread across the young shinobi's face. Three Iwa nin were suddenly blocking his vision of freedom beyond the fortress, one already in motion, lunging with a sword towards his ribs. Jerking away, he saw a movement from the corner of his eye as a clone slid into position just before the sword pierced, taking the blow in a noisy puff of smoke. Swerving, choking hard, the shinobi raised his sword defensively, but Naruto was more occupied with the narrowing and far too intelligent eyes of one of the other three. The man, wearing what seemed to be a bandanna over his brown, straggly hair cupped a hand to his mouth, magnifying his shout.

"HE'S HERE! THIS IS THE REAL ONE!"

_Fucking hell! NO!_

In a mad burst of energy, he launched himself forward, chakra pouring to his legs with the effort. Taking them by surprise, he managed to gain the battlements. Tightening his grip on his sensei, he sped down the wall of the fortification in measured bursts of chakra, skidding down the last few meters. The open plain before them beckoned. Behind him, the outraged shouts and cries of his pursuers passed from one end of the wall to the other, rallying support. Glancing back as he sped towards the ravine ahead, he saw the last of his clones form a protective barrier, holding back the attacking Iwa nin for as long as they were able. Even so, a good number of shinobi had managed to get through and were gaining on him. He leapt across the open space, legs pin-wheeling wildly before, with a horrific sense of lightness, he realized that Kakashi was being pulled from his back. Gasping, Naruto twisted in the air, clutching at his sensei.

"No you don't, you little bastard!"

It was the bandanna-wearing shinobi who had raised the alarm against them. He had grabbed hold of Kakashi's torso, fingers ferociously digging in to gain purchase on the tattered flak jacket. A flash of silver passed from the pouch on his thigh, lancing towards the silver-haired shinobi's chest.

"NO!" Naruto's scream of horror rapidly magnified to an outraged roar, the burning blast of roiling, red chakra flooding outwards in a long, whip like tail, catching up the Iwa nin and flinging him backwards into several shinobi behind them. The sickening crack of bone on rock and the sizzling of scorched human flesh filled the air, the screams and death cries drowned out by the animalistic sound of undiluted fury coming from the jinchuuriki.

"Naruto!"

Eyes snapping down, Naruto momentarily froze as he met the worried, exhausted gaze of his sensei. They were both still airborne by the Kyuubi chakra wave, Kakashi reaching for him, wincing as his glove began to sizzle from contact with the young shinobi's arm. "Naruto, stop!"

"Sensei!" In fear and desperation, Naruto jerked away, closing his eyes tightly, withdrawing the seething energy around him with more force than ever before. They were in free fall, Kakashi's grasp on him unrelenting. Readying himself for the inevitable collision, Naruto was startled when it came in the form of something soft, rounded and slippery.

"AAARRRGHGGHH!" A wet sizzling noise reached his ears as wind rushed past him. The lifting sensation quickly switched to a descending one and they were stationary once more in a jerking halt. The cushioning was rapidly removed and he fell to the ground with a harsh thud. He was up in an instant, glancing around frantically for Kakashi, only to be met with the furious gaze of Gamakichi.

"Gama - "

"You idiot! Control that fox thing of yours! It burns like fucking hell!"

"Sorry! But Kakash -"

"He's right here."

Eyes widening, Naruto turned to the source of the familiar voice, finally taking in the five people standing beside the toad, all bristling with readied attacks. "Ero-sennin! Guys . . ."

"No time, Naruto." Sakura's voice was crisp and sharp. "Get on Gamakichi. He'll take you and Kakashi to safety. We'll hold them off."

"But - "

"No 'buts', Naruto." Jiraiya eyed him with stern reprove. The Sannin's massive and distinctive chakra signature wrapped around him in a truly intimidating battle aura, all traces of playfulness absent. "This is our retrieval mission. Obey our orders."

Naruto paused, then nodded firmly, leaping up onto Gamakichi and gripping on, gaze traveling down to Kakashi who had closed his eyes and was breathing heavily once again. "Sakura-chan!"

"I'll be right behind you, Naruto! Keep Kakashi as still as you can."

The Iwa nin had re-grouped, now that the Kyuubi's chakra had vanished. Enraged shouts and jutsu calls sounded out as Gamakichi slipped into rapid motion. "Hold on, brat!"

The toad's giant leap carried them with soaring speed towards the cliff, Naruto bracing his body to prevent his sensei from being jostled. The Konoha team took off after them, Kiba and Akamaru in the rear, their combined Gatsuga wreaking havoc on the pursuing Iwa nin, thunderous and wild. They sped up the cliff and gained the plain before the forest beyond, Gamakichi moving with ease across the open space. There was a sudden pause in the sounds behind them, which then resumed with equal abruptness and Kiba re-appeared beside them, swearing loudly. A long, bloody gash ran across his cheek, bisecting his clan tattoo.

"Kiba!" Hinata almost stopped, but the Inuzuka grabbed her arm, propelling her forward. "GO! Faster! It's the ANBU team, they're taking over the hunt!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **So, a lot of questions answered in this chapter. But some things are as unclear as ever . . . As always, I appreciate your thoughts :)


	13. Hunting Grounds (iii)

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto or any Naruto characters portrayed in this fic.

**A/N**: Part (iii) of Chapter 11: Hunting Grounds! The timeline of this story follows the time-skip, after Naruto develops the Fuuton Rasengan (as pointed out by a very sharp reviewer) technique, but after that deviates from canon. Reviews and feedback appreciated!

* * *

><p><strong>PART 2: Flight<strong>

**Chapter 11: Hunting Grounds, Part (iii)**

_**Day 7 since Team Kakashi's departure from Konoha (17:30)**_

"What the _fuck_ are they thinking?"

Kiba's voice had risen to a yelp as he dodged another projectile. Beside him, Hinata whipped her head around, face pale with disbelief. There, clearly visible in the afternoon light, were two teams of Iwa ANBU in close pursuit. Jiraiya slowed his pace, falling back behind them, his face grim.

"You lot follow Naruto and stay with him. I'll handle this."

"Jiraiya-sama!" Sakura's wide green eyes were visible over her shoulder as she half-turned. "Two of us will stay with you!"

"That's a negative!"

The Sannin's roar caused them all to straighten slightly, hearts pounding a little faster in spite of the fact that the real danger lay behind.

"You will surround Naruto in formation. And you will stay that way, until further instruction. Those are my orders. Now do as I say!"

With no further argument, the team of young shinobi fell precisely into the pattern they had developed over the past few days. Sakura gritted her teeth as she kept her gaze focused on Naruto's bright head of yellow hair, standing up in dirty spikes just ahead of her. Prodigy as she was, Sakura was fully aware that she was no Shikamaru. The reasoning behind some of the things that had happened during this mission was far beyond her reckoning. Yet something like this . . .

_They're actually following us and engaging us outside their borders? Jiraiya-sama was very clear about the fact that Leaf shinobi have complete clemency in Waterfall Country . . . They could start a war this way! And they know who they're up against. He's one of the legendary Sannin, they don't stand a chance - _

Realisation hit her like one of Tsunade's finger flicks. With a gasp, she twisted, watching as Jiraiya deflected another barrage of missiles with the hardening elongation of his hair. "Jiraiya-sama! Let us take them!"

Meeting her eyes, the Sannin saw, with some trepidation, that the Hokage's young apprentice had deduced the full implications of their situation. _Damn cocky brat. _"You heard my orders, Haruno!"

She flinched slightly, but, to his horror, he saw her falling back to his pace, closely followed by Shino. Naruto was now looking back, consternation on his face.

"I know what they're trying to do!" She was running alongside him now, drawing a kunai and deflecting with brisk, practiced movements. "They're setting us up. Making us look like the aggressors! I know! Nobody in their right mind would take you on in open battle. If you let us fight them and go ahead with Naruto, it won't look that way!"

Hinata and Kiba were listening closely. Shaking his head, Jiraiya gave a snort. "And to whom are you proving a point, you little twerps? Whether you stay behind and fight or not, who's watching to say that you did? I'm here already, and that's all that will matter. Now shut the hell up and do as I say!"

There was no arguing with that rebuke. Sakura was about to resume her position up front with Naruto, when Jiraiya called out to her and Shino. "They're almost on us."

She shot a questioning gaze at him. His craggy face was set and unreadable. "Slow them down."

"W - what?"

"Do it!"

Deciding that this was not the time to rationalize the Sannin and his strange orders, she complied, falling even further behind, Shino moving with her. Gathering chakra into her fist, she whirled on her heel, sending up a small cloud of grass and dust. Shino had his arms spread out, sleeves falling open. The three ANBU in the lead showed no signs of slowing down, gaining ground with every second. The others behind them spread out even more, obviously intending to bypass them while they dealt with her. A deep, thrumming hum met her ears and she readied herself as a dark cloud emerged from the Aburame's sleeves, shooting out in a wide arc and obscuring the view of the ANBU. Cries and shouted orders could be heard over the buzzing of the bugs and some of the Iwa nin were already substituting and flying through hand signs.

_Big mistake, assholes. _With a roar worthy of her mentor, Sakura's fist met the ground. A deafening rumble and tremor shook them, the ground splitting and yawning beneath the Iwa nins' feet. Two of them went down with screams as limbs and torsos were trapped and crushed beneath the weight of tumbling earth. The remaining ANBU sailed through the air, making great leaps for safety beyond Sakura's position. They were met with a wall of spiky white, Jiraiya sailing overhead and whipping them out of the air with breathtaking speed, firing jutsu and explosives with deadly accuracy.

"Sakura! Let's go!"

Turning to face Shino, she nodded sharply, sprinting away on his tail to where Hinata and Kiba were flanking the bounding form of Gamakichi.

"Ero-sennin!"

Sakura swore softly when she realised what she had missed earlier. What Jiraiya, with his infinitely greater experience, had planned for. Naruto was making to jump off Gamakichi and join the fray. The Sannin had seen her doubt his orders, had let her and Shino participate in the battle even if only to provide a short distraction. He had let her decide for herself which choice she would make; follow her instinct and back him up or follow his orders and prevent Naruto from sacrificing his own safety for his mentor. And she knew that they would need every one of their team, Hinata, Kiba, herself and Shino, to stop the young shinobi once he had made up his mind to fight for someone important to him.

"No you don't!"

Watching with no small surprise, Sakura saw Hinata suddenly swoop in from the right, seize Naruto's arm and throw him bodily over her shoulder back onto Gamakichi. His outraged scream would have been funny under other circumstances.

"Hinata! What the hell?"

"Silence! Follow Jiraiya-sama's orders!"

"But - "

Byakugan active, she stabbed her fingers towards his leg, earning a howl of pain and surprise. "HINATA!"

"I'm sorry, Naruto-kun. I cannot allow you to jeopardise this mission. Your safety is priority."

Seeing him struggle and knowing that the effects of the jyuuken would wear off faster on his system, Sakura closed in. "Listen to her, Naruto. Jiraiya-sama can handle himself just fine. Why don't you take a look?"

Glancing back to where the Sannin was facing off against the remaining ANBU, Naruto grimaced. "Yeah, yeah, I know, but - "

"Kakashi." Sakura's sharp reminder snapped his eyes back to her face. "We have to get him to safety. He's right in front of you, or did you forget?"

"I DIDN'T - "

"Stop your shit already!" Kiba snarled from behind them. "We're doing what shinobi do. Go along with it or we'll truss you up and let you watch _everything_ from the sidelines!"

Growling softly, Naruto turned away, just as something sleek and sharp whizzed by his cheek, slicing a small cut along the whisker-marks.

"What the fu - "

"EVERYONE DOWN!"

Sakura's shout came just in time as they threw themselves away from the kunai with a small, sizzling tag attached. The explosion flung them out of formation, rolling and skidding towards the forest that loomed ahead.

"Shit!" Kiba lowered his arms, "They set up an ambush!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>Day 8 since Team Kakashi's departure from Konoha <strong>_

To say that it was a tense few minutes in the Hokage's office would be something of an understatement. Shikamaru had to mentally force his hand away from his weapons pouch. He would rather not draw a stray kunai in a room full of antsy ANBU. Wiping a wrist across his brow, he waited, the nervous anticipation coiling in his stomach with poisonous intensity. There was a soft tapped signal from the window and they all turned simultaneously to see the heron-masked ANBU crouching at attention. Tsunade strode over to her.

"Report."

"Hokage-sama. An explosion was set off at 13 hours, 47 minutes in the former Uchiha district. No casualties. The investigative team is still searching the rubble, but we have found traces of explosive tags and heavy-duty explosives generally used in demolition. We believe these to be the source of the explosion. The most extensive damages were centred around the Uchiha district, with minimal damage to the surrounding commercial district." The ANBU paused, as if weighing words. "The destruction was aimed exclusively at the Uchiha district. We have yet to confirm this, but there seems to be careful placement of explosives such that this was the case. Also . . . there is something which Hokage-sama should see for herself."

Tsunade had received the report with an equanimity fitting of a true village leader, but her brow furrowed slightly over the last words. "Explain. What is it that cannot be stated in this report?"

"It involves the monument within the district. The one erected in honour of all that died in the massacre. It has been . . . defaced."

Shikamaru glanced sharply at Tsunade who, surprisingly, looked back at him. Something flickered in her eyes momentarily and he looked away, straightening slightly. Her order was clipped and cold, the voice she used in dire circumstances.

"We're heading there immediately. Shizune, take over here and handle all enquiries."

"Yes, Hokage-sama!"

"Shikamaru. You will accompany us."

Snatching her coat off the back of her chair, Tsunade shrugged it on before exiting after the fore-guard of ANBU through the spacious window. Brushing a hand across the top of his head to steady his nerves, Shikamaru followed, close in the wake of the black cloaks snapping in the wind.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Day 7 since Team Kakashi's departure from Konoha (17:45)<strong>_

There were six of them. Sakura didn't know how they had arrived first or gotten past the keen nose of Akamaru, but the smell of burning chakra and the dust-laden air could have contributed to them escaping detection. All wore the Iwa ANBU masks and, judging from the weapons and equipment they carried, varied in specialization. Three soft, measured pulses of chakra emanated from her pocket, close to her hip. Glancing over, she saw that Hinata had her Byakugan activated and had chosen the appropriate formation and attack form to use against them. It was a strategy implemented by Jiraiya before the extraction attempt. The small leaf of chakra paper stored away in her clothes was connected by an elaborate sealing jutsu to those on the persons of her team members, allowing them to pass unnoticed signals back and forth.

The only issue that could offset their attack was Naruto himself, although, judging from the attack pattern Hinata had chosen, she had considered that too. It was risky and allowed more room for free maneuvering, creating ample opportunities for a wild card like the blonde shinobi to score some devastating hits. Naruto had already leapt off Gamakichi's back, taking up a defensive stance in front of the toad. He was panting slightly, something Sakura took note of with worry. For someone with Naruto's stamina and regeneration ability, fatigue was an indicator of just how much he had been through shortly before.

"Gamakichi! Get going! Get sensei as far from here as you can!"

The toad gave a small salute before sliding and leaping for the trees. Seeing that some of the Iwa nin moved to cut him off, they took initiative and attacked. Two of the ANBU immediately went for the Hyuuga heiress, one attacking head on with a sword, whilst the other rapidly unrolled a small scroll and summoned a weapon. Smoke bombs filled with nerve gas were sent rolling Shino's way while one very large, heavyset ANBU, seeming to specialize in earth jutsu, launched rampart after rampart of solidified rock and soil into the air to neutralize Kiba and Akamaru's combined attacks. Sakura and Naruto found themselves in the centre of a pincer formation, one approaching from either side, electricity sparking on the fingers of the former and the latter wielding two short swords.

Dodging around the sword strikes, Sakura placed her back to Naruto, ensuring cover in her blind spot and performing the same function for him. At such close range, and with her companions close around her, her large-scale destruction techniques would do more harm than good. Channeling chakra to her palm, she kept up her evasive movements, gritting her teeth as small cuts and slashes appeared on her arms, until she felt a sharp tap at the base of her spine. Smiling internally, she dropped low, lashing out unexpectedly with her left hand. Even with no prior planning, she and Naruto operated well together, thanks to hours of grueling training under the watchful eye of a certain silver-haired man. Focusing her chakra in a reversal of the mystic palm technique, she aimed for the ANBU's sternum, drawing her hand up in a slashing motion. He staggered away, a bubbling cough rising up in his throat. She was so close she could see through the shadowed slits of his mask to the widening eyes beneath. Pivoting on her heel, she executed a sharp turn, exchanging positions with Naruto.

"Rasengan!"

The coughs turned rapidly to wet gasps and the sound of a body collapsing heavily. Her new opponent was breathing hard, his lightning technique evidently using a great deal of chakra. Naruto, from years of training with Sasuke and Kakashi, had developed a much higher recovery rate from such nerve-numbing attacks, making their battle a stalemate. As such, her new opponent was winded and much slower. Chakra gathering around her fists, Sakura lunged at him, forcing him on the defensive with punch after punch. He caught her wrist, a burst of intense pain causing her to utter a cry and drop to the ground, clutching her arm close to her body. Gathering up sizzling electricity to his fingers once again, he prepared for a finishing blow. He was unprepared for her foot lashing out, a sharp crack followed by a howl of agony as she shattered the bones in his leg in a controlled burst of strengthening chakra. Upright once again, she glanced over at Naruto who grinned, expression hardening when he looked over to where their companions were fighting.

"You take that one. I'm helping Shino."

* * *

><p>Hinata danced around the ANBU's sharp strikes, hands parrying away the flat side of the blade whenever possible. Her opponent kept reaching for his pouch, so she thwarted him at every turn, aiming jyuuken strikes at his legs and knees. Byakugan active, she threw her head to the side as a long, dark projectile whipped past her. Certain that she had executed a clean dodge, she uttered a small gasp as pain and a bloom of blood appeared on her shoulder. Intensifying her focus, she saw that her guess of carefully applied wind chakra to the whip was incorrect. The ANBU wielder had threaded chakra through the thin tails, allowing him to send small spikes out of the individual strands at will. Dodging and weaving, she lashed out, managing a strike at the ribcage of the ANBU closer to her. Gasping and wheezing slightly, he leapt away from her. At that moment, Kiba, who had been focusing his attacks on his own opponent, suddenly switched direction in mid-air, mowing down the unsuspecting Iwa nin. The whip-wielding ANBU struck at Hinata with renewed ferocity, aiming primarily for her face, only to find his legs suddenly bereft of movement. Looking down, he uttered a shout as a flood of kikaichu shot from the ground, enveloping his torso.<p>

Further away, the hulking form of the earth-jutsu user re-appeared as he dropped his walls, realising that Akamaru was his single adversary. Eyes widening, he only had a moment to register the flash of black and purple as Hinata's fingers smashed into his chest and arms in a flurry of strikes. Unable to form jutsu, he aimed a pole-axe kick at her that split the ground as she darted away. Spinning in mid-air, she released a flurry of kunai, most of them finding their mark due to his hefty size and inability to dodge. Stumbling away, he shook his head, uttering a rumbling roar of defiance. Heedless of the kunai peppering his form, he charged at her once again, a massive leap carrying him up to her defenseless form. Eyes widening, Hinata readied herself for the blinding pain when Sakura came in from the left, arm curled back. The ANBU, completely focused on the Hyuuga girl only registered a crushing force, wind rushing around his ears, the ground flying up to meet him and then, darkness.

* * *

><p>"Hokage-sama . . . "<p>

"I know." Her voice was almost weary. Turning to the ANBU at her side, she sighed. "We won't clean it up just yet. The message is obviously intended for as many people as possible. Who knows what this madman might think up next if we disregard his warning and remove it."

"Yes. I'll inform the other squads immediately."

Gazing up at the scrawled message on the monument Shikamaru was all but oblivious to the destruction around him. He had registered Hawk's presence a few minutes ago, but made no move to acknowledge him.

"Son-of-a-bitch."

"Your case?" Hawk's hollow visage was turned towards him.

"Definitely. Going from the pattern so far, this is very specific. And I know exactly who it's aimed at. You don't really have to be much of genius to figure it out. In fact, you don't have to be a shinobi at all. Everyone knew when we got back from that mission." Grimacing slightly in memory, he paused. "It was also common knowledge that he tried to kill Naruto."

Surveying the monument, Hawk nodded. "You're right." He paused. "There's a difference in pattern here. No murder. Just widespread damage."

"Hmm. The target is stronger than most. S-rank, probably, by this time. Also, he's out of town."

"I wonder what he'll make of all this once word reaches him. Sasuke Uchiha is unpredictable at best."

Grunting, Shikamaru turned away. "With any luck, he never will. Counter-intelligence should have it covered. Until some of the damage is repaired, at least."

Making their way back to the main group and Tsunade, Shikamaru shot one last glance over his shoulder at the monument, standing solid and tall amidst the chaos on all sides. Its sole presence as a distinct structure drew even more attention to the letters etched deeply into the surface, the names of those it honoured chipped and scratched away into non-existence. Each line a foot tall, the grooves painted in stark, metallic black, heavily dusted with brown from the explosions, it was a declaration of fearless madness and vengeance.

REMEMBER WELL

THE PATHS THAT LEAD

FROM VALLEY OF THE END

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><p><em><strong>End of Part Two.<strong>_

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><p><strong>AN: **So rounds up the last chapter of Part 2. To answer any queries in advance, yes the Iwa nin attacked outside their borders. It was a gamble on their part (which didn't pay off). If it were made to look like Konoha were the aggressors (which is pretty easy, considering that Jiraiya is present) and a war started, more of the neutral countries would be allied to Iwa. However, without the presence of Naruto and Kakashi, who they failed to capture, they would be hard pressed to provide concrete evidence of this. Secondly, the fight scene. I always imagine that Konoha shinobi place greater emphasis on teamwork, especially with the younger generations, and in battle against strong opponents, such as the ANBU teams, it would give them an edge given their in-depth knowledge of each other's abilities. Third (and last), I have no knowledge of a monument to the Uchiha. This is purely speculation on my part. I would imagine that they would have a separate monument in the Uchiha compound itself. Next up, **Part 3: Reprisal**.


	14. Part III: Reprisal: A Sleeping Beast

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto or any Naruto characters portrayed in this fic.

**A/N**: On to the last of three parts! The timeline of this story follows the time-skip, after Naruto develops the Fuuton Rasengan (as pointed out by a very sharp reviewer) technique, but after that deviates from canon. Reviews and feedback appreciated!

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><p><strong>PART 3: Reprisal<strong>

**Chapter 12: A Sleeping Beast**

_**Day 8 since Team Kakashi's departure from Konoha**_

Tsunade was standing very still in the midst of her protective guard. When Shikamaru approached, there was a slight, almost unnoticeable shift in their positions that granted him closer access to her.

"Hokage-sama?"

She turned and he almost took a step back at the simmering fury he saw, boiling just beneath her poised exterior. She closed her eyes for a few moments and when she glanced his way again, her smile was bitter.

"This shall be added to your case docket. See that you follow all leads. Shikamaru . . . "

Her voice petered off and she glanced at the defaced monument behind her, distracted.

"Yes, Hokage-sama?"

"Looks like your theories are now fully confirmed. Valley of the End . . . _tch_. Couldn't have chosen anything _less_ symbolic."

"He's getting bolder." Shikamaru followed the direction of her scrutiny, taking in the destruction. "The Uchiha compound is taboo. Nobody even enters here. He's gone far beyond any boundaries that exist in Konoha."

"And that's exactly why it's imperative that he has to be stopped. Now."

The young chuunin nodded slowly, wincing. "Hokage-sama, I apologise for not doing more to avert such a situation. This doesn't follow a pattern."

"Pattern?" She shook her head. "Look around you, Shikamaru. This is the work of a madman. Of course he has a pattern, a grand plan, even. Just not one that's in any way comprehensible to a sane person."

She turned to him once more, holding his gaze.

"You should understand that it's now not enough for you to simply tag along in the wake of this criminal. You have to start making predictions. I understand that it makes no sense to try to solve a case without gauging the motives, the causative agents behind the actions. But now that you have a fair understanding of the 'why', decisive action needs to take place."

The challenge in her light brown eyes was fierce, but he met it all the same, back straightening, suddenly aware of the precise reasons Tsunade had been chosen to lead the village.

"This common murderer shall not snap at the heels of Konoha and think to make a neat escape. What he has done, to this village, to my shinobi, is _unforgivable_. Nara Shikamaru, show me what you are capable of."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Day 7 since Team Kakashi's departure from Konoha (18:04)<strong>_

Their escape was a narrow one, despite the decimation of the Iwa ANBU. Jiraiya had shouted to them to fall back, seeing the new wave of attackers that had threatened to spill over the fortifications. Naruto was the first to detach himself from the battlefield, tugging sharply at Sakura. As they ran, they tended to their wounds. Hinata drew up alongside Kiba as he carefully matched his pace to hers, placing her glowing palm against his cheek and neck, stemming the blood flow from the painful looking wound. Sakura saw to herself with rapid and detached efficiency, the myriad small cuts and bruises that marked her arms quickly dispatched. Her movements were mechanical, both her thoughts and those of the blonde shinobi before her, fixed on the memory of their sensei's battered form retreating on Gamakichi's back.

"Naruto."

"Sakura-chan?"

"What's Kakashi's status? Tell me the worst injuries."

Naruto frowned. "No breaks as far as I can tell. Bruised ribs. Cut on the chest, which I missed the first time. The leg wound was pretty deep. Mainly blood loss and chakra exhaustion. I gave him blood replenishment and fever pills from the kit. And used Hinata's ointment."

Unseen by him, Sakura gave a brief, soft smile. "Good job. It'll have to hold until we get him to a safe place."

"Speaking of which . . ."

"Oh." She turned to Jiraiya. "Right. Jiraiya-sama? Are you sure about where we're headed?"

The Sannin snorted. "What do you think? Don't worry, brat. Waterfall will grant us safe passage, you have my guarantee."

Shino spoke suddenly, drawing closer to the group. "We have pursuit. Not ANBU. Two groups, forming a pincer formation. They're slower. They're being cautious now that they're well over the border."

"_What_?" Kiba looked back through the trees, still empty of signs of pursuit. "Are they that fucking desperate? Or insane? Do they even know - "

"Oh, they do." Jiraiya gave a low, humourless chuckle. "I was expecting this, to be honest. These are Iwa nin. The bastards won't give up, given a chance like this to strike back at Konoha. They know exactly what could happen if they make one wrong move. What makes them doubly dangerous is that _they're willing to risk it_."

Hinata gave a small shiver and Kiba frowned, but the expression passed, leaving him smirking slightly. "Well, if they want to play like that . . ."

Naruto whipped his head around, teeth bared fiercely. "No! No way are we wasting any more time like this! Kakashi-sensei needs his treatment - "

"And he will get it." Jiraiya interrupted, implacable.

"What do you - "

A series of explosions echoed from some distance behind them, a soft gust of wind carrying the scent of burning leaves and wood to their noses, an attenuation of the blast.

"_That's_ what we meant, dumbass." Kiba's grin was as wide as it could get without hurting himself. "You think we didn't rig this place before coming through to get you guys?"

Naruto humphed. "Yeah, yeah, but that won't stop all of them."

"Nope."

"Then . . . what the hell, Kiba?"

"Why? It serves as a signal too. To our most welcome allies." Shino pushed his dark glasses further up the bridge of his nose. "You are as dense as they say, truly."

"HEY!"

As he turned his head back, he saw them. They passed like cool, dark arrows beneath, riding the water raised from subterranean currents with grace and ease. Sliding along the forest floor, faces turned up to them momentarily in pale oval flashes of movement. And then there were more. This time coming from straight ahead, through the tree-tops. Wrapped in mottled green and brown, sashes of dark blue wound around their brows bearing the metal plate that marked them from Waterfall. The shinobi in the lead saluted mid-leap, eyes trained on the broad, distinctive figure of the Sannin. Jiraiya returned the gesture with solemn respect and they were gone, passing as swift and deadly as the shinobi contingent on the ground below. Silence reigned over the group for a few more minutes. And then the distant sounds of battle reached their ears, screams, shouts and cries of terror as the Iwa nin were met by opponents who could manipulate this environment at a whim of chakra control.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Day 8 since Team Kakashi's departure from Konoha<strong>_

"Well." Commander Sato huffed and tossed Shikamaru's thick folder of case notes onto the table. "This got out of our hands fast."

Shikamaru winced ruefully. "Yeah. It's been upped to Class five. This file contains all the information relevant to the murders. But the classified stuff . . . it ties in with this. Suffice to say that when the culprit is found, Hokage-sama has given me clearance to report to you immediately."

He received a grunt. "Hm. Considering the outright act of terrorism a short while ago, I'm hardly surprised. In a way, I'm glad. We don't have the resources to fully investigate such an incident. Our efforts can be expended elsewhere with greater impact."

"Hokage-sama has all ANBU squads on high alert. A team is currently working at the scene."

"Good. Thank you for reporting in." He stood, bowing deeply, a sign of respect not lost on Shikamaru. He returned the gesture. Sato watched him for a moment with a wry smile. "And you can be sure that we will consult you on any further cases, should we require your expertise."

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><p>Back in his room, Shikamaru immediately removed his shinobi gear and stepped into the shower, scrubbing himself quickly and vigorously. He washed out his hair, grabbed a towel and made for his closet from which he removed a set of clean, comfortable night clothes. Ignoring the appetising scents wafting up from the kitchen, he dressed and sat, cross legged on the floorboards. He closed his eyes.<p>

He needed to be one step ahead. Thus far, the criminal's 'grand plan', as Tsunade succinctly put it, had eluded his prediction. It would not any longer. Laziness was so ingrained in the young Nara's nature that he sometimes under-estimated his own abilities while accurately assessing the same in others down to a fault. Today, in the Uchiha district, something had struck him. It was not just the fact that he had been given this investigation, a far cry from anything he had taken charge of before. It was the sheer _faith_ that Tsunade had in his ability to unravel it that hit very close to home. He couldn't think why, but what he was dead certain about right now was that he would not disappoint her. He could not afford to, now that the possible fate of his comrades hung in the balance.

Taking a deep breath, he began. He started with the murders. No. Before that. This faceless individual planned to perfection. In his or her eyes, the unveiling of the carefully crafted revenge was an art-form. Each event was theatrical, played out to the gasping audience of Konoha. It would have started small. Unnoticeable. It would have started with the mission. Getting Naruto out of Konoha would have been first priority. So ensuring that Team Kakashi received a mission well away from Konoha was the first step.

No. Before that. The victims would have to be chosen. How did the murderer know these people? How did they retrieve that obscure information, the identities of the young arsonists? Sasuke was a well-known aggressor. Anyone could have access to that information. What narrowed it down was the knowledge of the five civilians and Daisuke-sensei.

Shikamaru's thoughts took a sharp turn, along an unexpected tangent. He was pretty certain that the murderer had made Daisuke an accomplice in the mission room. Daisuke's violent and vengeful death also pointed to this. The murderer had wanted Naruto safe and far away. Wrapped up in the brilliance of their own plan, the architect had not foreseen the old grudge against Naruto re-surfacing and was moved to psychopathic rage when their very purpose was thwarted.

Wily as they come, Daisuke had interpreted the seal, made his own additions and ensured that _Naruto_ as well as Kakashi had been transported to hostile territory. Daisuke would also have the contacts in Iwa to arrange for false intelligence to be planted amongst their sources; that Naruto and Kakashi were spies. As a veteran sensei, he would have made many trips to other hidden villages. Daisuke had no notion of the full plan. If he had known that it was, supposedly, in _support_ of Naruto, he would never have gone along with it in the first place.

Something in all this did not fit well with Shikamaru. The translocation and framing were, again, flourishes of a metaphorical cape. His instinct told him that the _murderer _had come up with these touches, eventually hoping to let Daisuke take the fall as his own special punishment. But if translocating _just_ Kakashi had been the original intention, why go through all those lengths of framing him and rendering him a hunted fugitive. . .

_Oh. _Like a well oiled hinge, the entire situation _turned_ in his mind, out of its ungainly, incomprehensible motion into smoothly fitted cogs, churning against each other. Leaping to his feet, he raced around the room, collecting his weapons pouch, chuunin vest and sandals. Sticking his head out the window, he saw, as expected, Hawk perched on the corner of the roof.

"We're going. Haruno residence. I'll head there, you bring reinforcements."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Day 7 since Team Kakashi's departure from Konoha (18:35)<strong>_

It was half an hour later when they finally received some respite from the constant action. A small group of Waterfall shinobi hailed them down and led them to a concealed rest station. Gamakichi was already waiting, Kakashi's still form safely across his back. Jiraiya exchanged formalities with what appeared to be their captain, a short, stocky, dark-haired man with vertical tattoos down the length of his powerful arms.

Shino, Hinata and Kiba looked around with some interest as the advanced shielding genjutsu was released, revealing what looked to be nothing more than a metal hatch opening into the bank beside a river. Naruto and Sakura, however, had eyes only for their sensei. As soon as they stepped into the chilly shelter of the bunker, the young medic took charge of the situation, rattling off instructions and requests for materials from the surprised Waterfall shinobi, laying Kakashi out on a stretcher and bustling them all to the medical bay. Naruto barely had time to dismiss Gamakichi with heartfelt thanks before he was tugged along in their wake.

The medical bay itself was a simple infirmary, equipped with first aid essentials, poison antidotes, medical charts, medicine chests and two steel-framed beds with thin army-issue mattresses. In a corner, a tap with a tiled area below provided icy water, piped directly from the stream flowing alongside.

Kakashi was laid out on one of the beds while Hinata motioned Kiba over to the other and tended to his cheek. Naruto, looking anxiously over Sakura's shoulder, spoke only when she had completed the diagnostic, his bottom lip ragged where he had bitten it.

"So? How bad is it?"

She shook her head, a frown etched deep into her brow. "Worse than usual. Nothing I can't treat, but with all these injuries combined . . . and his chakra levels are dangerously low . . . "

Catching his worried gaze, she gave a small, tired smile. "Naruto, you idiot. Stop hovering and boil me some water. We'll have him awake in no time. Trust me, you'll see."

Catching his full attention for the first time since the rescue, Sakura was startled to see the depth of emotion and heaviness in Naruto's eyes, belying their vibrant colour. He didn't reply immediately, only resting his hand on her shoulder. When he spoke, his voice was tired, almost limp. It made a small shudder race through her.

"Make him better, Sakura-chan. I know you can."

She heard the sound of running water and the echo as it splashed into an aluminium basin, then his footsteps leaving the room. A short while later, he returned and the dish emitting a thin cloud of steam was placed at her elbow. Kiba slumped over on the bed, legs crossed as he settled into a light doze while Naruto seated himself in a corner, not far from Shino, the exhaustion still evident in his posture and bearing. His gaze, however, did not stray from herself and Kakashi, taking in the progressive treatment with rapt attention.

Sakura, meanwhile, had already administered her special chakra and blood replenishment pills and was pleased to see that Kakashi's chakra levels were still low, but fluctuating in a region where he was most certainly out of immediate danger. The shallow wound on his chest had scabbed over, so she focused on the slashes across his calf, which were still sluggishly bleeding, the flesh around them inflamed.

Laying out swabs and antiseptic solution, she sterilized the surrounding area, cleaned out the wounds and knitted the flesh together until seams of light pink new skin stood out on the underside of Kakashi's leg. Closing her eyes, she now placed her palms flat against him, her consciousness reaching out to the bruised ribs beneath the flesh. Her chakra flow eased the swelling and soothed the ragged and torn nerve-endings, knitting bone together where hairline fractures formed miniscule lines across their surfaces.

When the room swam into clarity once more, she looked down, wiping sweat from her brow and smiling slightly when she saw a little colour return to Kakashi's pale features above the mask, his breathing already easier. Naruto shifted in his corner and she looked up, returning his slight grin.

"He's okay now?"

"He's out of danger. He won't be spry for a while, though." She beckoned to Hinata and stood slowly, stretching out her back. "Hinata, you take care of that cut. I'll just take a short break and see to the others."

"Right away." The dark-haired girl slid her knees beneath Kakashi's bed and began to slowly and carefully dab at the scabs on the unconscious shinobi's chest. Naruto waved his hands as Sakura approached him.

"I'm fine, Sakura-chan. You should just rest for a while."

Ignoring him, she ran a diagnostic, her eyes scrutinizing his face carefully. She knew something had happened from the way he avoided her gaze, from the way he was not prattling on and on about how they had overcome the Iwa nin. After a few minutes of tense silence, she shoved his shoulder roughly.

"Are you going to tell me, or will I have to beat it out of you?"

He gaped at her for a few minutes before rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Ah . . . I didn't mean to make you worried Sakura-chan."

She snorted and fished a dark brown pill from her medic kit. Naruto's eyes fixed upon it nervously and she scowled.

"I want to see it go down your throat, no excuses!"

"But - "

"NOW."

"Sheesh, Sakura-chan," he grumbled, but she was relieved to see a small amount of the tension apparent in his shoulders give way and he sat back, squinting in ill-concealed disgust as he chewed on the pill.

"So?" Her voice was soft.

He swallowed with difficulty and looked away, across the room to where Kakashi lay. "Nothing. It's just, it was kind of hard, you know? Sensei always comes home knocked out from big missions, over-using his Sharingan and all, but this time . . . "

He broke off and Sakura watched him, gripping her knees.

"I . . . He said things. About me. And you. And even Sasuke-teme."

"Naruto . . . "

He continued as if he hadn't heard her. "I didn't want him to say things like that. It made me think about things that I didn't want to. But also . . . I did. It was . . . nice to hear him say it, but also scary. And you know what Sakura-chan?"

He still wasn't looking at her, for which she was thankful. He might have stopped if he saw the bright sheen on the surface of her eyes.

"I always like it when sensei says something good to me. To us. Because, I mean, you know Kakashi-sensei. He doesn't say stuff often. Who knows what goes on under that stupid, big hair, you know?"

She nodded, and he must have seen from the corner of his eye, because he was still speaking.

"Anyway, he told me a bunch of stuff. Some of it makes sense, some of it doesn't. He was kind of out of it, so it wasn't all together, if you know what I mean. He . . . he also . . . did this."

Before she was aware of what was happening, Naruto's hand shot out, pausing inches from her. He caught her gaze and she stared back, then nodded. Slowly, he lowered his hand, resting his palm on the top of her head, willing her to understand as he gripped firmly, but gently. From the sudden widening of her eyes, he saw that she did and he almost retracted his hand when he saw two single tears well up and spill down her cheeks, tracing tracks in the dust and grit. She reached up and grasped his wrist, willing her strength into him. His voice was a little husky when he spoke again.

"He also said something about you, so I thought, maybe you should know."

She took a small, steadying breath. "It's all right, Naruto. I think I already know."

* * *

><p>Jiraiya took a long draught of the cool water proffered and sighed, wiping his mouth off on the back of his arm.<p>

"Hn. That hits the spot."

Across him, Hiruko, the Waterfall jounin, unwrapped a small bundle of rice cakes and pork buns, handing them over.

"Your team did fantastically well against the Iwa ANBU."

Jiraiya grunted. "Yeah. Kids, all of them. But reliable. And skilled. Our rookie nine is not just for show."

"I can see that." There was a pause in the other's speech as he bit into a bun, chewing speculatively. "That Naruto. Your apprentice now, is he?"

Jiraiya nodded, keeping silent. Their treaty with Waterfall was a recent one. Although small and often keeping out of conflict, the village boasted a compact and highly organised shinobi system. Jiraiya's intelligence network, however, had unearthed some information which did not set him at ease. A jinchuuriki was also present in Waterfall village and, according to reports, she was not afforded the same respect and admiration that Naruto had accumulated from Konoha's citizens over the years. Quite the opposite. The girl, as his sources let him know, was received with hatred and ill-feeling. Grateful as he was for the timely intervention from these shinobi, the Sannin wasn't going to put Naruto at unnecessary risk.

Hiruko shrugged. "Looks like a promising young man. And your medic." He laughed. "She reminds me of someone."

Jiraiya grimaced. "Oh, we get that a lot. And her finger flicks are no less gentle. Tell me." He edged forward in his seat slightly. "Seen any unusual traffic in these parts recently?"

Hiruko raised an eyebrow and the Sannin grinned.

"Spymasters are not all-knowing, you know."

"Well," The jounin frowned. "There was . . . that organisation a few months back."

Jiraiya nodded, waving his hand. "That we're aware of."

This was no flight of fantasy. As per the Sannin's view, the treaty between their villages had come about through Akatsuki sightings long before the official one reported by the Waterfall village. The uneasiness caused by such an encounter was enough to get their wily village council to seek assistance from a shinobi super-power and thus, Konoha had been approached. It was a pity their jinchuuriki was not afforded more value. He had a feeling that they would be hearing something in that regard soon, and instinct told him to be prepared for the worst.

Hiruko jerked a thumb in the direction of the Iwa border. "You're talking about them, right? On any given day, they're not the most subtle. Especially with their threats. What we do know is that a coded message entered the country a few weeks ago. _We_ knew because they took a route through our territory, just skimming the border. Our patrols didn't stop them for questioning. We didn't stay alive this long by poking the sleeping beast in the eye, so to speak. But we did keep a close watch on them."

Jiraiya nodded, drinking in the information.

"They entered through the very same border outpost you Konoha shinobi raised hell at. The messenger was wearing clothes that spoke of no affiliation. Private service, no doubt. There was a lot of money changing hands, obviously. He was heavily guarded. Five Iwa ANBU, with a captain, no less."

"Interesting. And you say they skirted the Waterfall boundary?"

Hiruko nodded, seeing the direction of the Sannin's query. "Straight from Fire Country. Whatever this was, Sound wasn't involved. At least, as far as I can see. Your borders are better guarded than that. You've got a rat, somewhere."

Jiraiya's face was grim as he emptied the bottle of water and handed it over for a re-fill.

"Indeed. We're planning to squash it out soon." He grunted. "We'll show them what it means to wake a sleeping beast, all right."

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><p><strong>AN: **The road back to Konoha! Shikamaru strikes me as someone who is very aware of his own abilities and that of those around him, such that he can come up with strategies that incorporate the best of everyone's capabilities. The self-doubt I show here is nothing more than artistic licence. I think that as part of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, he would be very accustomed to teamwork and without his team-mates (who I have deliberately included very little interaction with), it would be natural for a young shinobi thrown into such a leading role to experience some doubts. Being the genius badass that he is, well, he won't be kept down for long!


End file.
